Alexion Pharmaceuticals
Alexion Pharmaceutials is a global biopharmaceutical company. Primarily, it focuses on developing life-changing therapies for people living with rare disorders. Above all, their mission is “to transform the lives of people affected by rare diseases and devastating conditions by continuously innovating and creating meaningful value in all that we do.”
Alexion’s global headquarters is in Boston, Massachusetts and its Center of Excellence is based in New Haven, Connecticut. Since 2013, Alexion’s facility in Blanchardstown, Dublin has served as the Company’s Global Supply Chain and Quality Operations headquarters.
The site, which will be home to a large-scale biologics manufacturing facility, is also used to house packaging and testing operations in support of their Global Manufacturing network.
In addition, construction of a second biologics manufacturing facility in Athlone, Ireland has begun. This will accompany the location’s existing fill-finish facility. Alexion Pharmaceuticals employ approximately 300 people in Ireland.
Every day, those who live with rare diseases and devastating conditions inspire us to push the boundaries of medicine, technology, and healthcare services. Our goal is to transform their reality for the better.
Lean Project Objectives
Alexion Pharmaceuticals have engaged ETAC in their Global Supply Chain, Alexion Pharma International and Alexion Site Operations divisions since 2018. In particular, the company have used our Lean Business Tools and LeanTeams online training programmes.
While working with them, their employees identified process improvements that could be made within their own work areas. Several of these projects were in Lean Operations Management (Supply Chain, Logistics, Capacity and Production Planning). A brief outline of their Lean projects is described below. You can also read the full case studies below. You may also be interested in all our other case studies.
Case Study 1
Packaging Materials
Our first Lean project was identified by an employee at Alexion Pharmaceuticals. The standard lead time for creating new packaging materials was 46 days. Following completion of the Lean Business Tools training programme, the business developed a a new form and created a new online workflow. As a result, they reduced the lead time to 10 days, representing a 78% reduction. Read the full case study here.
Case Study 2
Quality Control
Our second case study is “release samples”. A team member saw an opportunity to reduce the turn-around time for “release” samples in the Quality Control Laboratory. One of the key outcomes was that a batch was released within the agreed target timeframe. Read the full case study here.
Case Study 3
Regulatory Artwork
Our final case study was identified by an employee who saw that the regulatory artwork approval timeline should be less than 4 days. The global engagement team carried out the 8-step problem-solving analysis. This produced an immediate impact for the company. Consequently, the project has been adopted into the Continuous Improvement model for the NPI teams. Read the full case study here.
“While I had an understanding of Lean tools beforehand, it was the mentoring that was of most value during this training. Alex was brilliant in keeping me on track and providing guidance all the way through.”