Pfizer site saves £1.5m through improved planning

Senior managers at the 320-employee site decided to enlist the help of business improvement consultancy Oliver Wight after seeing the success of the Class A programme at another Pfizer site in Germany. Now, Havant has picked up a Class A milestone award of its own as part of this process. The improvement drive has not only doubled distribution volumes and enabled the site's product portfolio to increase, it's also saved hard cash by cutting inventory obsolescence by 40%. Pfizer also expects the formulation of a new stable shipping schedule to reduce its freight costs by 10%. Jon Sinnott, supply chain solutions lead at Havant, says: "We've doubled vaccine output while still running the same shift pattern. Class A has driven us to improve our product mix and the lines we're packing each SKU on… We plan better and have removed waiting time from the schedule." Pfizer Havant was awarded the Class A milestone for Capable Integrated Business Planning (IBP) seven months into the programme. The introduction of a stable master production schedule was key to this, says the company. Warehouse and logistics operations manager, Stewart Prince comments: "We are now processing twice as many pallets and shipments, and completing more than double the number of transactions as before – yet it doesn't feel twice as difficult." The Havant facility, near Portsmouth, is part of the Pfizer Global Supply (PGS) division; it packs and distributes products used to immunise children against pneumococcal disease and to treat severe rheumatoid arthritis.