Multinational pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk is the world’s largest manufacturer of insulin and GLP-1 products. It was founded almost a century ago in Denmark. In recent years, the organization has been pioneering the use of new digital technologies to drive growth, reach more patients, and simplify shop floor operations. As part of this mission, they’re currently using a mixed reality solution designed to improve processes at some of the company’s manufacturing facilities. All while helping Novo Nordisk meet the strict requirements imposed on the pharma industry.
“What we fundamentally want is to drive change in the fight against diabetes and other chronic diseases. To do that, we need as large a patient reach as possible. And modern technology is a key way of getting there.”
Ole Feddersen, Corporate Vice President of Product Supply Technology Transformation at Novo Nordisk, is describing his company’s mission – and the role that digital solutions are playing in achieving it.
“The pharma industry, in which we operate, has traditionally been slower than other industries when it comes to implementing novel technologies, both within manufacturing and the digital domain,” he says. “This is often due to the strict regulatory requirements we must adhere to.
“But we’ve recently decided to take a more proactive approach and place ourselves at the forefront of tech adoption – driving a full digitalization of our production processes.”
As part of this plan, Novo Nordisk has adopted a mixed reality solution that uses Microsoft HoloLens 2 and Microsoft Dynamics 365 applications to reduce time to market and digitally support manual processes.
The move is promising to revolutionize the way some production activities are carried out, as well as make work easier for shop-floor employees.
“Our goal is to help people in our production facilities to operate more easily and efficiently,” he says. “We’re not replacing them with technology – we’re just augmenting their work.
“And at the same time we’re using technology to reach even more patients with our products.”
A pharma company that looks at the future
Century-old Novo Nordisk employs more than 49,000 people in 80 offices globally. The organization is responsible for half of the world’s insulin supply, serving more than 34 million diabetics in 170 countries.
In recent years, Novo Nordisk has been using new technologies to meet growth, make production processes more efficient and empower its employees. All while maintaining the highest standards of quality and abiding by the regulatory requirements imposed on the pharma industry.
“The growth we’ve been seeing recently is requiring us to expand our manufacturing capacity, but it’s also a great opportunity to apply Industry 4.0 technology to some key parts of our work,” says Ole Feddersen. “For example, to maximize the output of our machinery and improve the operational efficiency of our equipment.
“Mixed reality gives us just that: it allows us to deliver consistently high-quality products, while also making life much easier for our colleagues on shop-floor.”
But implementing new solutions is often a challenging task, especially for pharma companies. As Carsten Lützhøft, Senior Director of Process Digitalization, explains, organizations need to ensure that all processes comply with Good Manufacturing Practices (GxP). GxP is a set of requirements and regulations imposed by national health authorities on organizations producing medical products such as medicines, medical devices and more. They make choosing the right digital solution all the tougher.
Complying with these requirements allows to ensure that processes are reliable and consistent, that employees have the appropriate qualifications and training, and that equipment is well maintained.
“One of my main tasks at Novo Nordisk is to work out how digital technologies can help us improve and transform the way we work going forward – and at the same time adhere to these regulations,” he says.
“Together with Microsoft, we’ve found the perfect way to make this happen.”
A small revolution in pharma manufacturing
Novo Nordisk is currently using a range of Microsoft technologies to enhance and manage various shop-floor tasks at its manufacturing facilities. These include Microsoft HoloLens 2, Microsoft Dynamics 365 Remote Assist, Microsoft Dynamics 365 Guides and Microsoft Power Platform.
“Over a year ago, Microsoft presented us with the ideal opportunity to try out their solutions in a sandbox environment,” explains Lützhøft. “Since then, we’ve been able to test them, mature them and figure out how to scale them in a pharma context.”
At the heart of the solution is the HoloLens 2, Microsoft’s mixed reality headset. Employees wearing them can perform a range of activities and share – via Remote Assist – what they’re seeing in real-time with their offsite colleagues. This encourages greater collaboration between different teams, putting frontline workers in direct contact with experts.
“We started using Remote Assist during the pandemic and we haven’t stopped since then,” he says. “It was extremely useful when part of our workforce was forced to operate remotely and now, we’re extending it to a much broader set of uses.”
A similar concept applies to Augmented Instructions, Novo Nordisk’s flagship app powered by Microsoft Dynamics365 Guides. Here too, the company is using the HoloLens 2 to replace paper-based processes and speed up manual tasks.
“We've changed the process of how we create instructions for our technicians and operators in our production facilities,” comments Lützhøft. “We are increasingly switching from written instructions to an augmented reality version.
“What we’re essentially doing is simplifying and augmenting a range of manual processes, like clearing production lines, using the HoloLens 2 and Guides,” comments Lützhøft.
Using the HoloLens 2, technicians can go through these often complex procedures by following 3D instructions for each step in real time. This helps to guarantee that every step has been completed successfully, while allowing them to visualize their full work environment.
“The fact that our technicians can visualize the instructions they need to follow in 3D – rather than having to check their paper-based versions – makes everything more efficient and interactive,” he continues.
The final part of the solution involves a Power Platform and Power Automated-driven platform that runs in the backend and which helps to configure and automate processes, trigger workflows, and manage everything in compliance with GMP requirements.
“That's one of our great achievements,” he says. “The fact that we’ve managed to find a way to put all the components of our solution in compliance with GMP requirements is an important victory for us.”
Reaping the benefits of an integrated solution
From line clearance to batch change over, Novo Nordisk’s solution is driving efficiencies across a range of highly complex tasks.
And Lützhøft says that the benefits of these solutions are already showing. “We’re gradually starting to see a lot of improvements in process lead time and training lead time,” he continues.
This is crucial, especially at a time of expansion for Novo Nordisk. “We’re planning to attract a lot more talent in the near future, and we believe that digitalization and automation are a key factor in both hiring and training our employees,” he says.
“Using these solutions, we can do just that: we can onboard faster than we've done before, reduce process lead time and optimize and digitalize our manual production processes.”
He highlights the speed at which processes can now go, both with regards to individual tasks and in matters of GxP requirements. This is fundamental especially in pharma. “Our industry is traditionally slow. If you have to build a facility, chances are it will take you a long time. Same thing if you have to change a production line. So for us, this is really a new way of improving faster, making a difference in a simpler, easier way,” says Carsten Lützhøft.
Making waves with Microsoft’s mixed reality apps
Following a series of trials in a sandbox environment, Novo Nordisk has started using its solution at five production facilities, with more to come. “Those five sites were part of our pilot sites, where we’ve gained experience and gathered knowledge,” says Lützhøft.
“What is happening right now is that employees from many other production sites are saying ‘If this is a proven technology, with a proven setup that can add value to us, then please come and help us too’.”
As part of the initial phase of the project, Novo Nordisk carried out training sessions that helped to ensure everyone felt comfortable using the technology. “The first initial reaction to the training has been very positive,” he continues. “That is also related to the fact that they've had the solution in a sandbox environment for a while, so we've had some time to pave the way and fertilize the soil for later use.”
As they prepare to upscale the project and open it up to more parts of the company, Lützhøft and his team have put together a catalogue of 35 cases that outline even more advanced uses of the HoloLens 2.
With further integration and use of the entire solution in the pipeline, he hopes that all production sites will be able to get started with mixed reality solutions soon.
“Having used these technologies for a while, it is now clearer than ever how they can help us to really optimize and speed up our processes,” he concludes. “The work that we’ve been doing with them speaks volumes.
“Now that we also have our GxP approval in check and guaranteed, we can truly use it to make our lives much, much easier.”
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