STADA Arzneimittel AG

Organization

STADA Arzneimittel AG is a publicly traded company based in Bad Vilbel in Hessen, Germany. STADA relies on a multi-approach strategy consisting of generics and branded products (OTC) with an increasingly international market focus. The organization is Germany’s only independent generics manufacturer. STADA has 47 subsidiaries in 29 countries. Branded products such as Grippostad, Ladival and Mobilat are among the most widely sold in Germany within their product category. In the financial year 2013, STADA achieved group sales of EUR 2,014.4 million, an adjusted EBITDA of EUR 415.2 million and an adjusted consolidated net income of EUR 160.6 million. As of 31 December 2013, STADA had 9,825 employees globally.

Trouble-free Shipping Processes

The health care group based in Bad Vilbel in Hessen, near Frankfurt, achieved a turnover of over two billion euros for 2013 and is the manufacturer of internationally successful products such as Grippostad, Ladival and Mobilat. In order to ensure maximum efficiency in shipping to pharmacies and wholesalers in Germany, the company opened a new logistics centre in 2008. It is here that all the order data from various SAP® applications converge and trigger the necessary work processes. Here, the boxes for each order are placed automatically on conveyor belts, a bar code is added, and the boxes are filled. In order for the necessary supporting documents to be printed out and enclosed, STADA needs an output solution that is both efficient and as robust as possible.

Multiple Data Sources, Single Print Job

“We wanted to fully automate print output at high speed within shipping and, of course, to keep the failure risk in this critical business area as low as possible,” explained Wolfgang Pfeiffer, IT Consulting Supply Chain & Logistics at STADA. “The data for the shipping documentation originate from various SAP applications,” he added. “We therefore need output software which converts all the necessary data and combines it in a single print job. Our high-performance printer reliably completes these jobs in less than five seconds.”

Project Aims

STADA opted for the VPSX® solution from Levi, Ray & Shoup, Inc. (LRS). Since 2007, VPSX software has been supporting employees at four locations with quick and reliable printing of invoices, orders and other documents using printers from various manufacturers. If an employee moves to a new job within the organization, their print jobs can be flexibly redirected to other printers. The advantage is the VPSX product’s ability to replace the existing drivers and ensure that the output precisely fits the requirements with no formatting errors.

STADA Workplace

Problem-free SAP Connectivity and Full Logistics Automation

Based on this positive experience, STADA also opted to deploy VPSX software in the recently built logistics center. Initial test prints showed that the VPSX solution was able to easily convert the output needed into paper format within the maximum five second time limit.

Professional Support in Every Project Phase

Implementation was completed within only five man-days. An expert from LRS was on hand throughout the process: “LRS provided very professional advice in each situation and contributed significantly to the fact that we were able to implement process defaults one to one,” said Pfeiffer.

Main Benefits for the Customer

Today, STADA is able to centrally control and administer printers from different manufacturers using VPSX software. For approximately 1000 users, the LRS® solution directs output to the precise printer where a given user can work most effectively. This is important, for example, if the employee has relocated within the group. The software delivers a uniform print image to all devices. Alarm functions also ensure that support staff can intervene immediately if paper or toner run out or if the printer has a fault or goes offline.

The seamless connection to multiple SAP applications and efficient conversion functions enable VPSX data from different sources to be combined and integrated into a single print job. In this way, all customer deliveries from STADA receive the specific inserts required — from delivery note including all logos, credit notes, and return notes, to the barcode between the perforations. “VPSX is the perfect solution for our requirements,” concludes Wolfgang Pfeiffer.