CASE STUDY: HELPING NORGINE PROVIDE VITAL PHARMACEUTICAL PRODUCTS
Overview
Founded in 1906, Norgine is a leading European specialist pharmaceutical company that looks to acquire, develop, and commercialise innovative products that make a real difference to patients worldwide.
They are prominent in all major European markets, known for their flexible and agile approach to partnering and collaboration, and employ over 1,300 people.
The Issue
Following the outbreak of COVID 19, Norgine had to take drastic measures to ensure that they could continue to supply vital pharmaceutical products. They introduced firm measures to comply with government guidelines and protect staff.
One such measure was to screen all employees for signs of a fever (high temperature) every time they entered the site. This was done by assigning one member of staff at each shift changeover to perform temperature checks on all employees using a hand-held digital thermometer. Anyone showing signs of fever was instructed to leave the site, self-isolate, and contact their line manager at the earliest convenience. The individual that performed checks out fully equipped with all the relevant PPE; gloves, face mask, visor, disposable apron.
However, this method introduced a significant amount of lost production while the shifts were changing as the whole process was time-consuming.
The Solution
After a few weeks of using this system, they contacted Centerprise (CI) to investigate the use of thermal imaging technology to help improve this process. Their IT manager had previously dealt with CI and was pleased with the service that we offered.
Instantly, Centerprise was able to offer a possible solution and installed a demo system for Norgine to trial with no obligations.
The thermal imaging solution checks the temperature of each individual as they enter the building. If an employee is showing signs of high temperature, the system automatically tells them via a pre-recorded voice message to leave the site and contact their line manager. During this trial period, regular contact was maintained by both parties to give feedback and overcome any potential issues.
The trial, service, and support proved successful, and Norgine subsequently placed orders for three thermal cameras to cover the three entry points of their facility. Within weeks they saw significant results and received incredibly positive feedback from the staff, such as:
- Less time consuming allowing recovery of approx. 30% of the losses associated with staggering shift changeovers.
- Removed the requirement to assign an employee at each shift change to carry out manual temp checks.
- Staff now feel more comfortable entering the building without the need for close encounters with others.
- Less queuing making social distance guidelines easier to maintain.
Moving Forward
Centerprise and Norgine are currently working on another system to monitor and control the numbers of staff inside their changing rooms at any given time to help maintain social distancing during the current COVID-19 epidemic.
