€15B
Turnover
Lean Labs Project Boosts Pharmaceutical Lab Productivity by 33%
A pharmaceutical manufacturer needed to improve the productivity of its laboratories. The implementation of a Lean Lab project boosted productivity by 33% across the pharmaceutical product portfolio.
Life Sciences
Lean Lab
Manufacturing
Our Client
A Swiss multinational company specializing in the life sciences sector, providing products and services for the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and specialty ingredients markets. It is known for its expertise in biologics development, cell and gene therapy manufacturing, and chemical manufacturing solutions. The company has a €15 billion turnover with approximately 15,500 full-time employees based in more than 100 sites and offices worldwide.
+15K
Full-time employees
+100
Sites and offices worldwide
The Challenge
The client asked EFESO to implement their Lean Lab approach within one of their sites in France.
Production volumes were set to increase across the pharmaceutical product portfolio and the client needed to improve the productivity of the laboratories so that they could increase capacity without increasing headcount.
Real Results Achieved Together
+33%
Productivity improvement
+19%
Improvement in Quality Control
+5%
Improvement in Analytical Development
Transformation Impact
- Productivity Improvement — Including 2-year production increase of 33% across pharmaceutical product portfolio
- Supported by Visual Management — Daily workload management through the use of White Boards
- KPIs were determined and collection systems defined to foster ownership of lab processes, monitor the new systems of operation and encourage continuous improvement
- A capacity management planning tool was delivered
Our Approach
EFESO implemented their Lean Lab approach by developing appropriate leveling strategies for incoming workload:
- Using Heijunka devices such as rhythm wheels and trains
- Defining project workloads (with triaging) and milestones
- Standardizing work to define roles and achieve workload balancing
- Identify wasteful practices and eliminate where appropriate
EFESO also provided solutions that would accommodate production increase based on forecast for the following 2 years and developed appropriate visual management tools to support the new system of operation.
Related Services
Volatile workloads create productivity troughs and lead-time peaks. We stabilize lab operations through capacity modeling, dynamic resource allocation, and lean process optimization.
Aging equipment meets rising costs and technology disruption. We transform operations through smart factory integration, predictive maintenance, and workforce capability building.
Ready to Unlock Hidden Capacity in Your Labs?
- Increase productivity without adding headcount or expanding facilities
- Stop letting inefficient workflows and unbalanced workloads limit your lab’s potential
- See how leading pharmaceutical manufacturers are achieving double-digit productivity gains with Lean Lab methodology
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