Make known the importance of the evaluation of raw material suppliers in the pharmaceutical industry, specifically.
Objectives:
- Know the complete procedure carried out by large pharmaceutical companies to select suppliers of raw materials.
- Evaluate the impact of the Supplier/Vendor Selection and Qualification on the quality of the finished product.
- Know the advantages of an adequate evaluation of suppliers to build the success of a pharmaceutical company.
Today the pharmaceutical industry represents an important part of the economy, involving a large number of people in the industrial process, both for the production and consumption of the final products. However, this process begins with the transformation of raw materials and to offer a good product. The inputs must be of good quality. This paper describes the process of quality assessment of Supplier/Vendor Selection and Qualification of raw materials as well as the different problems that this process entails.
Quality refers to the qualitative and quantitative difference for some required attributes, as for a user, quality implies satisfying their needs and desires. The raw material is that substance of any origin that is used for the manufacture of drugs, constituting an active part of the industrial process of transformation. Therefore, it is important to evaluate the quality of the same since they are intended for human consumption in the finished product. The objective of the pharmaceutical industry is to obtain products of good quality. And this is achieved by valuing the raw materials, guaranteeing that the final product is suitable for the intended use without presenting any risk to patients due to inadequate safety, quality, or efficiency.
However, most small and medium-sized companies still do not understand the need for well-organized purchasing management. Or consider it to consist only of communicating with suppliers to request the required products or services. If we take into account that large pharmaceutical companies employ between 50% and 80% of their income in the acquisition of raw materials, supplies, and services. It is easy to realize that any savings in this area will have an important impact on the organization. The first step is to establish what are the raw materials, supplies, or critical services for the company. It is based on the fact that it affects the quality of the product or service received by customers is considered as such. The three basic elements that are generally required of the company by its customers are, in turn, those that the company must require from its suppliers.
These can be:
- The quality characteristics of the product/service.
- The delivery time.
- The price.
But to achieve efficient purchasing management, the entity’s supply chain must be well-identified.
Therefore, today, the logistics approach becomes a value-generating agent, based on a solid integration of the triad provider-company-client. The good logistics management of any organization starts with the best suppliers, so it is mandatory to make an appropriate selection of them.
A good supplier must be able to supply the materials, equipment, spare parts, services, and other supplies that correspond to the needs of the applicant company. And at the time, they must be received by it according to their demands and in conditions that allow carrying carry out the various operations in an appropriate manner to produce and deliver their products and services with the quality and conditions required by their respective customers at the established time. Although there are many factors that must be taken into account in supply management, one that stands out is the relationship with the supplier. In general, suppliers perform and offer different kinds of services and products, or specialized in one or several product lines, or highly specialized in a single type of product, in addition to contributing their services and products, usually support the finances of the organization through inventories.
