Pharmaways Healthcare is a wholesale distributor of a wide range of pharmaceutical products and supplies stretching from PPE (personal protection equipment) all the way through to scheduled medicines. Founded in 2016, it currently services both the public and private hospital sector, independent pharmacies and private medical practices across South Africa.

鈥淚t is a tough industry and market to break into, with many established players,鈥� says Julia Mothobi,聽Head of Finance, Pharmaways Healthcare. 鈥淭he last four years have had their fair share of聽challenges, yet we are constantly learning and growing with many more opportunities still out there for聽us to tap into, among others we are creating for ourselves.鈥�

Positive about the future, and determined to ensure that internal operations and systems were not聽only capable of helping them remain competitive, effective and efficient in a challenging industry but,聽similarly, were also aligned to assist with future growth, Pharmaways Healthcare took the decision to聽review its internal technology infrastructure.

鈥淲e had a number of challenges, specifically with regards to our inventory management,鈥� continues聽Mothobi. In an industry such as this, inventory management is vital. 鈥淲e need to be 100% on top of it,聽with as precise and real-time a view of our inventory as possible. Expired products or out of stock聽items would not only hamper the efficiency of those whom we supply, many of whom operate in, at聽times, a critical medical environment, but would also impact our internal operations and customer聽service.鈥� Further, Pharmaways also needed the ability to be able to pull reports, quickly and聽seamlessly, to further enable effective management of its inventory.

As its initial point of departure, Pharmaways decided to review its current system to determine if an聽upgrade would allow it to address all its requirements moving forward. However, an assessment聽quickly revealed that irrespective of said upgrade, it would still fall short of being able to deliver the聽required functionality.

鈥淲e decided on 麻豆原创 Business One from 4most, a leading supplier and implementer of 麻豆原创 Business聽One and ERP software technology, almost immediately,鈥� comments Mothobi. 鈥淣ot only was it clearly聽evident that it would be able to deliver all that we required but, as importantly, with many of our聽suppliers making use of the same system, it would provide us with the ability to seamlessly integrate聽between systems. This, in turn, yielding much quicker turnaround times and greater efficiencies for聽all.鈥�

A definite highlight is also 麻豆原创 Business One鈥檚 inventory location and expiry dates. It allows聽Pharmaways to allocate different (or the same) batches across different (or the same) locations. This聽is exactly the type of flexibility Pharmaways was desperate to achieve, and now have, thanks to 麻豆原创聽Business One. 鈥淥ur industry is very specific,鈥� continues Mothobi. 鈥淭here are such fine nuances, many聽of which are only relevant with regards to our supply chain. 麻豆原创 Business One is able to be聽completely customised to fit our exact requirements.鈥�

Of further benefit is the seamless integration between Pharmaways Healthcare鈥檚 various聽departments, and its suppliers. 鈥淥ur suppliers are now able to view our inventory in real-time, place聽orders, log queries, to name just a few areas of enhanced functionality. Not only does this enable us聽to operate at the top of our game, it also allows us to build trust and confidence across our supplier聽base, so key for long-term business relationships,鈥� says Mothobi.

When asked about the relationship with 4most, Mothobi is as enthusiastic about Pharmaways’ vendor聽of choice as she is about 麻豆原创 Business One. 鈥淭hey have been there every step of the way,鈥� enthuses聽Mothobi. 鈥淲hatever we have needed, they have been able to deliver on and their level of expertise聽places them in a category far superior to many other vendors out there.鈥�

Seamless operations, both internal and external, tighter integration, increased efficiencies and greater聽time saving are just some of the benefits Pharmaways Healthcare is looking forward to.

“And reports!聽Not only will we now have access to a much wider range of reports than before, it will actually require聽less resources to manage the reporting process leading to yet more savings and improved聽efficiencies,鈥� adds Mothobi.聽鈥淲ith go-live imminent, we look forward to working with Pharmaways Healthcare as they continue to聽grow and create opportunities in a high pressured and critical industry, backed and supported by 麻豆原创聽Business One,鈥� says Marius Fabian, CEO of 4most.

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Founded in 2007 by the Benassi family, all possessing strong engineering skills, Certus has enjoyed steady growth over the last 13 years, all of it primarily as a direct result of word of mouth. 鈥淲e pride ourselves on our ability to take any project from concept to design, to the production and installation of a perfectly engineered product,鈥� says Michele Benassi, MD, Certus Engineering. At Certus, the focus is on turning any challenge, irrespective of size, into an exceptionally engineered solution.

Industry at large

Having started from scratch, Certus now enjoys an established footprint across many sectors of South African business, including agriculture, architectural, automotive, building, construction, electrical, furniture, military, mining and solar. 鈥淚n fact, we have been involved in some really large and exciting renewable energy projects over the last few years, and enjoy decent traction across the motor, bus and truck industries as well,鈥� comments Benassi.

Certus is also a dominant player in the rail industry, which sees it currently involved in a 10-year project. 鈥淭he rail industry is a difficult sector to break into, with potential suppliers carefully vetted. This includes full audits and detailed inspections,鈥� continues Benassi. Certus believes its success in this space speaks directly to its capabilities, zero rate of failure and being able to deliver on time and at the right quality. 鈥淓ngineering is a very technical domain, and our industry is highly competitive,鈥� stresses Benassi. 鈥淚t鈥檚 essential to prove both one鈥檚 ability and loyalty right from the beginning.鈥�

The South African market also differs to some degree from its overseas counterparts. While volumes might, in certain instances, be somewhat lower than internationally, local requirements are very specific and customised. 鈥淲e feel we meet this niche very well,鈥� says Benassi.

Right from the get-go

A significant contributing factor to its success over the last years has undoubtedly been its choice of technology infrastructure. Benassi knew from the very beginning that he wanted a system able to grow with them as they evolved, one that wouldn鈥檛 need to be changed or overhauled at any point down the line. 鈥淲e didn鈥檛 quite know exactly what the company鈥檚 growth would look like, or when it would occur. What we did know is that we wanted a system that would be able to dynamically respond to our changing needs as it happened.鈥�

Already familiar with 麻豆原创 Business One, choice of solution from 4most, a leading supplier and implementer of 麻豆原创 Business One and ERP software technology was easy, with Certus committed to investing upfront in whatever resources, time and effort was required to get it right from the outset.

鈥淲e knew we would reap the benefits and have never once regretted the decision to invest upfront in a system that, at the time, was probably more than we initially required.鈥� The functionality enjoyed has enabled the Benassis to focus on building the business, confident in the knowledge that its technology infrastructure was not only sound, but completely capable of meeting the business鈥檚 daily operational requirements, however these unfolded.

The devil is in the detail

鈥淭here are specific nuances, unique to our industry and processes, that 麻豆原创 Business One has streamlined and enabled over the last decade or so,鈥� says Benassi.聽A key feature is its ability to 鈥榙rag and relate鈥�. 鈥淭his is such a powerful tool,鈥� continues Benassi.

鈥淲e deal with hundreds of thousands of different components not only needing to be quoted or invoiced, but also essentially needing to be tracked.鈥� Without a system such as 麻豆原创 Business One, this would have been an absolute nightmare.

鈥淲e need to be able to quickly and reliably track every single one of these components, sometimes months later, to see what was involved and the relevant margins and gross profits.鈥� Local pricing is also very volatile, sometimes changing monthly. 鈥淵ou need a system that allows you to update your prices monthly, if needed, and communicate with your market quickly and efficiently so as to avoid any unnecessary delays.鈥� What held the potential to be an almost impossible task, 麻豆原创 Business One has catered for seamlessly and easily.

Another benefit over the years has been its costing and pricing spreadsheet. Having evolved over the last 10 to 13 years, it is easily integrated into 麻豆原创 Business One, allowing the users to simply double click on any relevant item. What could have been difficult to manage, has given Certus the agility to respond to customer requirements almost immediately. 鈥淪tability and flexibility are key, always has and always will be,鈥� continues Benassi. 鈥淪o too is being able to trust the system鈥檚 availability, reliability of certain checkpoints and integrity of the data.

鈥淲e produce countless dozens of items, and due to the nature of our business and customers鈥� requirements, while we know there will be 鈥榥ew鈥� designs and developments almost constantly, we don鈥檛 always know what those requirements are going to be. However, what we do know is that we need a system that will be able to cope with that, regardless of what the requirements are. Without a doubt, 麻豆原创 Business One is such a system.鈥�

Poised for growth

Building on its solid foundation, Certus now stands poised for growth in the new decade, with plans under way not only for the design and development of its own range of products, but expansion into sub Saharan Africa and the opening of new offices. 鈥淚t鈥檚 an exciting time,鈥� continues Benassi. 鈥淵es, COVID-19 has taken its toll on all of us, but moving forward, the plans we had initially earmarked for early 2020 will now start taking effect.鈥�

Of great reassurance to Certus is that all the functionality it will require moving forward is already available within 麻豆原创 Business One. 鈥淲e are looking forward to harnessing even greater benefits,鈥� enthuses Benassi, a key area being the project management module and integration of its payroll into 麻豆原创 Business One. Further functionality will also include the integration of its stock onto the system and unlocking the benefit of the sales quotation module to allow for the tracking of opportunities and leads. There is also a new service functionality module. 鈥淭here are certain suppliers to whom we outsource specific areas of our business. This module will allow us to more easily manage our outsource network, with greater control over areas such as quality and on-time delivery.鈥�

Partnership

When speaking to its relationship with 4most Systems, Benassi simply comments that 鈥渋t鈥檚 quiet and it works.

鈥淲e don鈥檛 have or need much contact with 4most Systems at all, largely because 麻豆原创聽Business One just runs and does what is needed. Apart from some big upgrades, and a few snags and challenges, as is the norm with any installation. Yet, nothing that 4most hasn鈥檛 been able to resolve quickly and efficiently.

鈥溌槎乖� Business One, together with 4most Systems, has proven itself as a future-proof long-term investment and partnership,鈥� Benassi says. 鈥淎s we continue to grow and evolve in today鈥檚 ever-changing marketplace, we have no doubt 麻豆原创 Business One will continue to meet current and future requirements.鈥�

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Founded in 1956 as a mail order business, the last 30 years have seen Peppina change direction to become one of approximately two dozen contract manufacturers specialising in the pharmaceutical industry. This sees it manufacture and produce not only its own range of over the counter (OTC) pharmaceutical products (hair care, skincare, joint support, stress relief, energy and muscle relief), but also pharmaceutical related products for many other suppliers within this industry as well.

With its head office in Johannesburg, Peppina enjoys a national and global presence with all products manufactured at its facility available on both the local and international market, complete with an online shopping facility. “Thirty years ago, we made the move from mail order to producing our own products. However, it was only about eight years ago that we began the manufacturing side of our business, never once predicting the success that has it accounting for the largest part of what we now do,” says Liesl Groenewald, Operations Manager.

Growth = challenges + opportunity

With demand for its pharmaceutical contract manufacturing facilities taking on unprecedented growth, Peppina was fast outgrowing both its legacy infrastructure and current method of managing its operations. “Our legacy system was largely responsible for the sales portion of our business,” continues Groenewald, with everything else captured by hand and on Excel, predominantly by just one individual. Not only was this incredibly time consuming, but the scope for mistakes and human error was fast becoming an unnecessary challenge, potentially hindering what could otherwise be a far more streamlined, smoother and efficient way of doing business.

With its growth trajectory showing no signs of abating, coupled with strict industry regulations and processes needing to be adhered to in the manufacturing and production of pharmaceutical products, Peppina began to review potential technology solutions capable of enabling it to meet current requirements together with continued future growth.

Although not entirely sure what was available, Peppina was very clear on what it both needed and wanted 鈥� a fully integrated system, capable of customisation where necessary in order to meet its unique industry related requirements. “We weren’t interested in developing anything from the ground up or running separate packages,” stresses Groenewald. “Our requirements included, amongst other 鈥� automatic stock reconciliation, real-time access to information, the ability to capture batch numbers and expiry dates (vital to the pharmaceutical industry, yet slightly more unique compared to other industries), together with full integration, automation and absolute traceability.

Biting the bullet

Although painfully aware that a new technology infrastructure was vital to the sustainability and future growth of the business, the sheer magnitude of embarking on such a project resulted in it being discussed, but no real steps taken to make it happen.

Having looked at a few potential solutions, no real answer or way forward had been found due to a large portion of offerings seemingly coming from global vendors, offering very little to no local support.

At about the same time, a representative from 4most Systems, a leading supplier and implementer of 麻豆原创 Business One and ERP software technology, contacted Peppina as part of its cold calling process.

It was perfect timing, with conversations indicating that Peppina had potentially found the answer to its problems, not only with regards to day to day requirements but also those more unique areas specific to the pharmaceutical industry and its stringent requirements.

“I had not realised the amount of customisation possible and afforded by 麻豆原创 Business One,” says Groenewald. “It is as if we were able to take the best off the shelf package suitable to our needs and then tweak and customise to create a solution best suited to our environment, our requirements and the industry in which we operate.” To sweeten things still further, with Dischem a 麻豆原创 user, it opened the door to potential integration with various stakeholders and third parties further down the line.

Some market research conducted on 4most as a vendor, yielded positive feedback and recommendations. “4most’s reputation as one of the leading vendors for 麻豆原创 Business One in the local market cemented our commitment to move forward not only with implementing 麻豆原创 Business One, but also with 4most as our chosen vendor.”

Flipping the switch

Saturday, 1 March 2019 at approximately 23h30 saw Peppina go live with its new installation of 麻豆原创 Business One. “It’s a tough and scary moment,” says Groenewald. “But you get to a point when you have to switch over and trust and believe that the months of planning and preparation will yield the results you need.”

Between change management and getting used to a whole new set of processes and an entirely different system, the first few months proved challenging. “We didn’t know where to find anything at first. And, no matter how much training one has, it is only in the actual 鈥榙oing’ that one can really learn, thereby making a new system one’s own,” says Groenewald.

“There were also things we didn’t know we didn’t know.” For example, customising customer statements and invoices to suit a business’s corporate identify (CI) and financial regulations as opposed to simply running 麻豆原创 Business One’s generic templates. “But, as we learned, we got better.”

Yes, we would do it all over again

Yet despite the challenges, with only a few months since implementation earlier this year, Groenewald is quick to point out two very significant benefits already yielding advantages for Peppina.

* Transparency: No hiding. Once information is captured onto the 麻豆原创 Business One system, it is there. This allows for complete accountability.
* The sharing of information: A lot more people have access to information, faster and better than ever before. The days of one person owning all the information are no longer.

Smoother operations, reduced errors and hands on efficiencies

The pharmaceutical industry and its accompanying regulations make for very time-consuming processes, irrespective of the underlying technology infrastructure. A set of paper copies, physically signed off, need to be kept as part of industry compliance. However, the beauty of a fully automated and integrated system means that any human errors are now immediately spotted. “If something is captured incorrectly by hand, it will be immediately evident upon attempting to enter it into the system,” says Groenewald. This has not only reduced the propensity for human errors previously experienced but, in so doing, allows for far greater efficiencies and data integrity.

“It’s also the speed of things,” continues Groenewald. “I am now able to simply login to 麻豆原创 Business One to find all the information I could possibly need so much quicker than what was previously possible. The customised reporting is also a great tool to have. Literally, at the press of a button, I can access a report on whatever I need to report on, with the costing of products now also possible in real-time.”

The management of Peppina’s stock levels has also benefitted exponentially with 麻豆原创 Business One providing the functionality to not only immediately realise any potential errors but most importantly to allow for the fixing of them, immediately, removing any potential knock on effect. Peppina now knows exactly what is coming in, from where, and how much, all of which has a huge impact on improving daily efficiencies. Industry compliance also sees Peppina needing to run a mock recall every year.

麻豆原创 Business One facilitates this a lot easier, quicker and smoother than any manual system previously.

Next steps

Whilst the procurement process has also benefitted from the new technology infrastructure, there are some final tweaks Groenewald would like to look at together with a few smaller issues pertaining to the display of currencies within its financial reporting.

“Realistically, it probably takes about a year from initial implementation to completely iron out all chinks,” says Groenewald. “But we are so much further down the road than we have ever been and look forward to continuing both our investment in 麻豆原创 Business One and our relationship with 4most into the future.”

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