Industrial Transformation Platform in Life Science

QAD Transform 2024 Event Brief

Axendia recently participated in QAD’s Transform Conference in Chicago. The annual conference brought together industry leaders and professionals to celebrate and support the transformation of the life sciences manufacturing industry.

This year, the event attracted over 260 attendees, 40 thought leaders from over 10 partner companies, plus industry analysts sharing insights.

At the conference in Chicago, I had the privilege to sit down with QAD’s CEO Anton Chilton, CPMO Carter Lloyds, and CTO Tony Winter. Our discussion centered around QAD’s vision for the Life Science industry and how their Industrial Transformation Platform is poised to support and enhance this critical sector. Their insights highlighted QAD’s commitment to leveraging the company’s 46 years of experience combined with innovative solutions to drive efficiency, compliance, and resilience in Life Science.

During the conference, I had the privilege of being the featured speaker at the Transform Life Science Roundtable where I shared Axendia’s research on the imperative to transition from Computer System Validation (CSV) to Computer Software Assurance (CSA) to support digital transformation.

QAD’s Industrial Transformation Platform

The Industrial Transformation Platform is QAD’s initiative designed to redefine global business operations and empower organizations to become Adaptive Enterprises. The Industrial Transformation Platform, also known as the O³ Platform, represents a significant leap forward in QAD’s commitment to providing more than just enterprise software.

Anton Chilton kicked off our briefing emphasizing the unique challenges faced by the Life Science industry. “Life Science is probably the standout industry given that the legacy of other manufacturers is to be as efficient as possible,” he noted. “Unlike other industries, Life Science has traditionally not faced the same imperative for efficiency due to historically high margins. However, this is changing, and QAD’s industrial transformation platform is designed to address these evolving needs.”

Chilton explained that the platform is not just about technology but also leveraging QAD’s 46 years of history, expertise, and best practices. “The industrial transformation platform, the idea is it’s not just about the technology portfolio that we have, it’s about our expertise, our best practices, which of course plays a role in Life Science companies,” he said.

This holistic approach aims to help Life Science companies make smart decisions, optimize operations, and embed efficiency without compromising quality or regulatory compliance.

Leveraging Best Practices From Other Industries

Carter Lloyds highlighted the importance of applying best practices from other industries, particularly automotive, to Life Science. “When we think about automotive, we have the most complex supply chain in the world. And I think what we’re seeing in Life Science, while there’s been a focus on quality, we haven’t necessarily seen focus on the resilience of the supply chain, which is needed,” he explained. Lloyds pointed out that supply chain disruptions, such as the IV shortages in North Carolina, underscore the need for improved risk management and resilience in Life Science.

Lloyds also discussed the transition to true SaaS (Software as a Service) and its implications for Life Science. He emphasized that moving to SaaS would enhance security and reduce the risks associated with older software releases. “Being on older releases is an increasingly dangerous place to be with the threats from a cybersecurity perspective that exist,” he noted. This transition is expected to provide Life Science customers with a more secure and efficient operational environment.

Addressing Regulatory Challenges

Tony Winter addressed the regulatory challenges faced by the Life Science industry and how QAD’s solutions can help overcome them. He noted that the industry’s reliance on older software releases due to validation constraints is no longer sustainable. “The world has evolved. By combining a cloud assurance approach with SaaS technologies, we can help the industry enhance security, leverage cutting-edge capabilities, and boost competitiveness,” he said. Winter emphasized the importance of keeping Life Science customers close to the leading edge of technology to ensure stability and security.

Winter acknowledged the value of Axendia’s strategic advice enabling QAD’s transition to the CSA (Computer Software Assurance) model to accelerate O³ adoption in Life Science. “We can get stability through scale rather than validating versions of software with each customer thereby keeping life science customers close to that leading edge,” he explained.

Adopting CSA allows Life Science companies to benefit from the latest technological advancements without the traditional burdens of validation and compliance documentation.

Enabling Transformation Through Education and Collaboration

Chilton and Lloyds stressed the importance of education and collaboration in driving transformation in the Life Science industry. Chilton used a medical analogy to illustrate the need for a deeper understanding of customers’ operations and goals. “What we really need to do is to understand the symptoms that they’re describing and then the root cause issues,” he said. “This approach involves not just implementing technology but also providing prescriptive best practice advice to ensure long-term success.”

Lloyds echoed this sentiment, emphasizing the need for a challenging but appropriate approach to customer interactions. “There’s a difference between being customer focused and believing the customer’s always right. If the customer was always right, there wouldn’t be a need for us to consult,” he said.

By leveraging their extensive experience and best practices, QAD aims to guide Life Science companies towards more efficient and effective operations.

The Role of Process Intelligence and Embedded Analytics

One of the key components of QAD’s Industrial Transformation Platform is its process intelligence and embedded analytics capabilities. Chilton explained how these tools help identify and address inefficiencies in real-time. “Our process intelligence tool sits on top as a control tower for the execution of processes, looking at where there’s friction points, where there are bottlenecks, where there are anomalies to the standard process,” he said.

Lloyds added that the ability to get meaningful information back to change work processes is a significant advantage. “When we look at where we are with O³ and the embedded analytics and with process intelligence, the ability to get meaningful information back to change your work is huge,” he noted. “This capability is particularly valuable in Life Science, where compliance and quality are paramount.”

Supporting Continuous Improvement and Innovation

QAD’s commitment to continuous improvement and innovation is evident in their approach to customer engagement. Chilton mentioned that QAD recently reintroduced a program to work with every customer annually to assess and improve their use of the application. “We recently brought back a desire to go and work with every customer every year to look at how they’re using the application, how we can help them improve,” he said. “This ongoing collaboration ensures that Life Science companies can continuously refine their processes and stay ahead of industry challenges.”

Winter also highlighted the importance of building a community within QAD’s customer base to foster education and collaboration. “There’s an old mindset in the ERP world today from many of our life science customers and we need to build up the community within our customer base, educating them on what’s possible now,” he said.

By sharing knowledge and experiences, QAD aims to help Life Science companies achieve their goals and drive innovation.

In Brief

Anton Chilton, Carter Lloyds, and Tony Winter’s insights at the Transform Conference highlight QAD’s dedication to the Life Science industry. Through their industrial transformation platform, QAD intends to help Life Science companies navigate the complexities of regulatory compliance, supply chain resilience, and operational efficiency. By leveraging best practices from other industries, embracing new technologies, and fostering continuous improvement, QAD intends to support transformation and innovation in Life Science.

As the Life Science industry continues to evolve, QAD’s vision and solutions aim to play a role helping companies achieve their goals and deliver high-quality, cost effective and compliant products to market.

We will continue to provide updates on QAD as they become available.

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The opinions and analysis expressed in this post reflect the judgment of Axendia at the time of publication and are subject to change without notice. Information contained in this post is current as of publication date. Information cited is not warranted by Axendia but has been obtained through a valid research methodology. This post is not intended to endorse any company or product and should not be attributed as such.