How ECO Animal Health Reduced its Packaging Cycle Time by 63% (Something to Oink and Cluck About)

ECO Animal Health is dedicated to the research, development, and marketing of strong brands, differentiated generics and innovative new solutions. Its products are developed in cooperation with customer-focused teams.

ECO Animal Health is a member of the National Office of Animal Health (NOAH) and supports the Responsible Use of Medicines in Agriculture Alliance (RUMA). It strives to provide best-in-class, scientifically proven, ethical solutions to optimize the health, productivity, and well-being of their livestock sector. It aims to do this sustainably, working in partnership with animal health professionals and livestock producers to improve animal husbandry around the world.

Esko interviewed Ioannis Alexandris, ECO Animal Health’s Artwork Coordinator. As the Artwork Coordinator, his imperative is the packaging, labeling, and artwork processes. He ensures content is compliant with regulations, has been approved by key personnel and departments, and adheres to specific printing requirements. This is a critical mission for the avoidance of costly recalls, potential fines and other delays.

ECO Animal Health’s pharmaceutical medicines are subject to approval by numerous stakeholders. Alexandris described the difficulty in distributing information to the necessary parties, coordinating among different departments, and receiving timely approvals. He noted, “It’s challenging to obtain the proper information from the correct sources.”

Alexandris explained that regulations in the animal health sector are as demanding as in the human pharma industry, with strict requirements companies must adhere to since they are regulated by the same agencies (EMA, FDA, etc.). In some instances, there are additional requirements for the animal health industry. For example, drug residues, environmental risk assessments, blue box and regional requirements. It’s a highly regulated market which imposes specific demands.

Alexandris was hired to enhance ECO Animal Health’s artwork process, which previously relied on gathering, circulating information and very basic tools. It needed a comprehensive digital solution to capture workflow information and provide the history behind the final product packaging. This was a critical mission as ECO Animal Health does private labeled products with several distributors around the world.

Alexandris and his team make full use of WebCenter’s features, resulting in time and cost efficiencies. He stated, “The whole cycle was reduced by 63%, meaning a reduction in the overall time from start to finish from the request of a change to approval and files delivered to the printers.” He further noted, “I love the asset library in WebCenter because it gives an overview of exactly what you have for packaging, and you can trace it in seconds.”

One of Alexandris’s favorite features of WebCenter is the internal text messaging service inside the projects because it’s a crucial ability to capture every kind of information. “Having that instead of using email is something that is really beneficial.” The regulatory team appreciated the reduction in reviewing time, a convenience that was completely new to them.

Finally, Alexandris remarked, “WebCenter supports compliance, sustainability, and quality initiatives by providing tools to compare, receive differences, and investigate artwork thoroughly to know exactly what information each file contains for printing.”