PRESS RELEASE 26 November 2009

Actavis Italy Implements Computerised Dispensary Management System from CI Systems

Matteo Marconati, Elena Cerutti,
Andrea Comastri

In 2008 Actavis Italy, the well known manufacturer of high-quality generic products, selected established brands and innovative products, acquired a production plant in Nerviano. It is here that Actavis manufactures a range of oncological products.

As part of a programme to enhance its software systems, Actavis has installed the Ci-DMS computerised dispensary management system from UK-based CI Systems Limited. This was the second system installed by CI Systems in Italy, and the third to be supplied to Actavis and was delivered on time and within budget including some amendments to control dispensing of toxic actives within isolators.

The toxic actives are dispensed in a dedicated dispensary room containing three isolators, each with one or two balances. The bulk excipients and non-toxic actives are dispensed in a second dispensary room with a standard laminar air flow (LAF) booth containing three balances. For the toxic actives, Ci-DMS selects the isolator according to the material to be dispensed, and the balance is selected to suit the quantity being dispensed. All of the actives, both toxic and non-toxic, are potent, so Ci-DMS also adjusts the target quantity based on the lot potency. This functionality was not present in the previous DMS.

Ci DMS has been well received by Actavis staff with operators reporting that it is easier to use and more flexible and powerful than the system it replaced. Andrea Comastri, the Actavis Italy IT Manager and Project Manager for the Ci-DMS implementation, comments:

"Ci-DMS works well and the operators find it easy to use, so we are very satisfied with the system!"

CI Systems is experienced in developing interfaces with a number of different ERP systems and a key element of the overall project was the two-way interface with the JD Edwards OneWorld ERP system used by Actavis Italy. Ci-DMS is hosted on an on-site server while the JDE server is located in the USA, yet communications between the two systems are seamless. Ci-DMS receives items, lots and orders from the JDE OneWorld system and returns dispensed and 'pallet complete' transactions to ensure that the stock records remain accurate.

Actavis showed confidence in CI Systems by choosing to install Ci-DMS and the ERP system concurrently. The installation and commissioning of Ci DMS and the JDE OneWorld interface ran extremely smoothly. CI Systems had staff on site for the configuration and administrator training, and also undertook the IQ (installation qualification). Whilst Actavis was responsible for the OQ (operational qualification) and PQ (performance qualification) staff from CI Systems witnessed these procedures.

Andrea Comastri further comments:

"The outstanding aspect of this project is the exceptional quality of the people from CI Systems. They were flexible during the installation, always willing to make configuration changes if an issue arose, and the technical support has consistently been of the highest standard. We have developed a very strong working relationship with the people from CI Systems, so now they feel more like friends than suppliers!"

Ci-DMS was implemented in two dispensary booths. The system is used to control both manual dispensing of individual components and the addition of dispensed materials and bulk packs into reusable IBCs. Using the dispensary booths for this addition provides an advantage in terms of containment, as it avoids the need to add pre-dispensed bags in the production area where there would be a risk of dust and contamination from each bag.

The Ci-DMS database is hosted off site on two virtual servers (using VMware) - one for the live environment and one for the validation environment. A specially configured interface links Ci-DMS to the company's SAP ERP system - which runs on a server located offshore. Ci-DMS receives transactions for material lots and process orders from the ERP system, then returns transactions for material dispensed and lot adjustments to ensure that the ERP inventory is accurately maintained.

To maximise efficiency in the dispensary and reduce stock movement between the dispensary and the warehouse the dispensary is treated as a kanban stock staging location. Instead of using the ERP to allocate particular lots to particular process orders, the dispensary operators select material available in the dispensary. As each dispensing is completed lot consumption transactions are sent back from Ci-DMS causing the ERP system to issue the materials used against the process order and to automatically replenish the stock in the dispensing area.

In addition to supplying the DMS software and ERP interface, CI Systems also prepared all of the documents necessary for onsite acceptance tests and performed those tests on behalf of the client. This provision of a turnkey service was a major benefit, as it minimised the requirement for customer resources. The client's staff attended project meetings, seminars and training sessions as needed, with CI Systems liaising directly with the client's quality, technical, validation, production, engineering and IT personnel to ensure that the project was delivered on time and to budget. Further input from CI Systems included recommending the hardware and liaising with the booth supplier.

The Head of Production concludes:

"Now that the system is qualified we can say that Ci-DMS is as user-friendly as we expected it to be, and CI Systems proved to be very flexible, responsive, easy to work with and truly understood our needs. While an ERP interface was not originally part of the project scope, CI Systems had no problems providing an interface to SAP - which was implemented at the same time as Ci-DMS."

For more information about the Ci-DMS dispensary management system,
please call 01722 424100 or email sales@cielec.com or look at website www.cidms.co.uk