ACG covers every facet of the pharma process, all under one roof and seamlessly interconnected

ACG Inspection is launching its Life Sciences Cloud in India at the CPHI IndiaPMEC India show, which had its US launch at the Pack Expo US 2024. What has been the response to the US launch in terms of clients who are inquiring from clients or clients who have signed up?

Existing clients who use our products across platforms were excited about ACG’s Life Sciences Cloud, as it represents a complete end-to end solution for their pharmaceutical supply chain needs. Our team has been busy engaging with clients in scenario-based demonstrations and discussing custom solutions to best fit their requirements. The feedback from existing clients has been overwhelmingly positive. New prospects are, naturally, evaluating it among competing options, comparing modules, and assessing the unique benefits we offer. We welcome their questions and are glad to engage in discussions that help them understand where we differ from others in the industry. After these in-depth discussions, we look forward to formalising partnerships with these new clients.

What’s the upfront cost for a new customer or a new client (implementing this solution) versus an existing client? An existing client already has some parts of the solution and this life sciences cloud is the overlying layer which unites everything. Whereas a new customer might have bits and parts from different solution providers. Thus the interoperability between these different moving parts might be a concern. Also, how long does it take to train the staff to adapt to a new technology provider?

I’ll address the transition first. We built this platform with flexibility and ease of integration in mind. For clients shifting from other providers, the Life Sciences Cloud is designed to integrate seamlessly, regardless of whether they currently use multiple vendors or a single provider. There’s no need for additional coding or customisation on the client’s end to fit into our platform.

Regarding costs, aside from the recurring cloud subscription fees, we’ve structured the Life Sciences Cloud so that the cost of migration and integration is effectively zero. Our clients won’t bear any extra expenses for transitioning their systems, as we’ve designed the platform to support smooth interoperability with other systems on the floor.

On the overall cost, we envision a flexible model that adapts to different client needs. For instance, the cost may be as low as per-serialnumber charges for regulatory reporting, or it could scale for broader uses like complete supply chain visibility, manufacturing analytics, and operator efficiency. Each client’s setup is unique, so costs are tailored according to the specific modules and integrations they require.

As it’s an analytical and traceability solution, it would benefit a lot of pharma companies who are exporting. Is it compliant with the various supply chain regulations which are coming up like the Verification Router Service (VRS) in Drug Supply Chain Security Act in the US, etc?

We’re deeply committed to regulatory compliance, with partnerships that keep us ahead of the curve. ACG collaborates closely with governing bodies, GS1 Global and similar regulatory bodies to ensure our systems meet international standards. We are the Gold Partner of GS1 Nigeria. These proactive engagements allow us to offer compliance solutions well before new regulations are mandated.

Our participation with the Global Standard teams and the amount of deliberation that we do with them in terms of upcoming regulations, the amount of feedback we give, the amount of feedback they give (us) is way more advanced before the regulation actually hits the market before even it becomes a mandate.

The cloud solution aims to deliver end-to-end supply chain traceability from raw material to end consumer, keeping the sanity of the integration and data exchange. This encompasses supporting global regulatory compliances, including the impending Drug Supply Chain Security Act (DSCSA) regulation.

Many of our clients also use our systems to pilot new regulations, simulating production environments to understand and address potential challenges. Through these collaborations, we provide regulatory compliance deliverables early, allowing clients to validate their processes and prepare for real-world implementation.

Who would be your client? Would it be a large pharma company? Would it be a midsize pharma company? A small one, which is scaling up? And a small company would have cost constraints. Can they approach ACG and expect a solution to help them scale up?

ALSC gives global pharma companies the ability to visualise the entire manufacturing process on a very simplistic dashboard providing powerful insights enabling maximum OEE. Our modular technology caters to all types of pharma companies, from small-scale producers to major enterprises. Smaller companies can use selective modules, while larger organisations can leverage the full suite, integrating it across their entire supply chain. The system is also ideal for contract manufacturers (CMOs/CPOs), enabling smooth integration with diverse client systems and providing them with critical flexibility and cost efficiency.

It has the range to cater to global pharma companies. When I say small, I’m talking about small in terms of volumes or small in terms of what they like to do with the L4 system in place. Vis-a-vis with big customers, big in terms of what they like to accomplish with L4 in terms of how many products they have, what the volume of the product is, how far along in the supply chain they want to track, how much regulatory reporting they want to do.

What is ACG’s USP that you hope will draw customers to walk into your stall at PMEC India, and what are your expectations from the exhibition?

We are one ACG. Our brand can be a bit of an enigma—are we a materials provider, a machinery manufacturer, or a technology provider? The answer is all of the above. As the pre-eminent integrated service provider of oral dosage, producing capsules, encapsulation, tabletting, barrier packaging materials, process manufacturing and packaging machinery, quality inspection systems and traceability solutions to the pharmacies of the world, ACG covers every facet of the pharmaceutical process, all under one roof and seamlessly interconnected. This unified ecosystem provides our clients with an unmatched return on investment, as they can avoid the fragmentation that often occurs when dealing with multiple vendors.

ACG’s unique value lies in our holistic approach to the pharma industry, a journey that started 60 years ago with capsules and has since expanded to include everything from filling machines and packaging to advanced supply chain technology like the Life Sciences Cloud. At PMEC India, we’re excited to showcase new advancements in both machinery and technology. Our clients, many of whom are longstanding partners, will have the opportunity to explore the full capabilities of our Life Sciences Cloud, and we’re confident they’ll recognise its unique strengths over other solutions.