Dr Dieter Gothier, managing director of Hameln Pharmaceuticals, explains to Lorrie Kelly how the company’s ethos of flexibility, reliability and responsiveness, combined with its new production facility, will ensure strong customer allegiance.
Customer satisfaction can be a difficult concept to measure or control, especially given that most customers are reluctant to participate in market research.
However, Dr Dieter Gothier, managing director of Hameln Pharmaceuticals, believes that keeping the customer satisfied is a philosophy that translates into success.
Hameln specialises in manufacturing parenterals (injection products and drip solutions), for leading pharmaceutical companies around the world.
As a service provider, the company has always been focused on customer satisfaction, as is demonstrated by the company’s consistent rate of expansion. However, the quantum leap from service provider to customer-focused organisation was not fully realised until late 2004, when the company divided its organisation into three specialised entities:
- Hameln Pharmaceutical Plus – generics
- Hameln RDS – contract research
- Hameln pharmaceuticals – contract manufacturing
‘The restructuring required a new strategic alignment that firmly placed customer focus at the top of our list of business goals,’ says Gothier.
Adding value
Hameln pharmaceutical’s business model embraces a partnership approach rather than the more traditional client/supplier relationship. This method requires the active participation of customers in order to create a two-way process that offers added value for both parties.
The cornerstone of success for a partnership-based business model is strong communication. ‘The most challenging part of our business is communication management,’ says Gothier. ‘The effort it takes to control the highly complex process of the pharmaceutical supply chain is often underestimated, and the risk of misinformation is enormous.’
To ensure communication accuracy, Hameln has established extensive process control tools. All correspondence is checked for accuracy, completion, verification, authorisation and availability, according to the appropriate timelines.
Hameln Pharmaceuticals also provides added value for customers by supplying resources such as specialist knowledge and production expertise.
The company’s internal structure has been designed to meet client expectations by achieving key performance indicators and providing dedicated customer service centres in each of the company’s sales, supply chain and operations departments.
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 Flexible approach
With responsiveness and flexibility in mind, Hameln has demonstrated its commitment to its customers by keeping 20% of its roduction capacity free to facilitate short-notice orders. ‘Being proactive means not only serving, but anticipating our customers’ needs,’ says Gothier.
Hameln’s core business, contract manufacturing, incorporates many production-related services, such as stability studies, analytical and technological development, validation studies, product quality reviews and hazard analysis. And Hameln’s full-feature offering can follow an entire product lifecycle, from early clinical and toxicological studies, through to the marketing or co-marketing of products worldwide.
Upgrades for the company’s existing facility, in Hamelin, Germany, will implement new technologies and product groups. Most current investment is focused on extending the capacity of the company’s core business: vials, small infusion bottles and ampoules.
Prospects
Looking to the future, Hameln Pharmaceuticals is investing a further €30m in a new production facility, due to open in spring 2008, which will nearly double production capacity. The facility is designed to optimise material flow as well as workflow, further streamlining operations.
‘Our new transparent production facility has been engineered to provide an optimised workflow under state-of-the-art cGMP conditions,’ says Gothier. ‘With its built-in upgrade potential, it will allow us to adapt to changing demands in terms of capacity, technology and regulatory requirements.’
But the new facility is only the first step in a holistic approach towards operational excellence. ‘Our goal is to systematically implement
lean management practices across the whole organisation by the end of 2011,’ Gothier says. ‘Lean techniques are the sine qua non for a customer-focused service provider, and will contribute the most to meeting demanding market challenges, and enhancing our flexibility and quality, while still reducing costs.’
Company profile
Hameln Pharmaceuticals manufactures parenteral solutions and suspensions – aseptic and terminally sterilised – in glass containers to the highest quality standards. For further information, visit
www.hm-ph-group.com
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