Laboratories improve their operational management
A group of thirteen pharmaceutical companies based in the country increased their productivity in operational processes by an average of 15% in 2015, thanks to the adoption of an unprecedented system that allows operational indicators to be compared. Named BCO Farma and launched by industry organizations, the new system allows pharmaceutical companies to compare their performance in different processes with that of their peers, without strategic data being revealed among competitors.
For industry executives, profitability will increasingly be determined by operational efficiency rather than commercial expansion, which poses a significant challenge for a sector whose prices are controlled. In this environment, the indicator system should attract more and more participants.
"The sector is changing and the crisis in the country makes this clear: it's increasingly challenging to maintain margins," says Biolab's Corporate Strategy Superintendent, Jayme Lima. At the laboratory, the use of the system, launched at the beginning of last year by Sindusfarma and Abiquifi, from the pharmochemical sector, has already brought operational improvements.
The BCO was developed by Fabio Bussinger, from the Farma Institute for Operational Governance (IFGO), and works with 23 productivity indicators. "The BCO aims to provide independent parameters for companies to objectively determine their strategy and improve competitiveness," he says.
Every two months, explains Bussinger, the BCO issues a report with graphs based on the information transferred by each laboratory, which is not identified by name. In the curve, the companies are able to identify how they stand in relation to the others. "The vast majority of companies don't have a clear view of their inefficiencies and the financial impact of this," says the expert.
In addition to Biolab, Abbott, Aché, Allergan, Biosintética, Cristália, Eurofarma, FQM, Guerbet, Hypermarcas, Kley Hertz, Momenta and Sandoz are participating in the project. Another "four or five" pharmaceutical companies are expected to join the group soon. "Having more companies is only a matter of time," says Sindusfarma's chief executive, Nelson Mussolini. "To be competitive, we need benchmarks."