Pharmaceutical company “Darnitsa”, following the philosophy of continuous improvement, has moved to the second stage of implementation of projects aimed to improve production processes. Dmytro Shymkiv, the chairman of the board of directors of Darnitsa Group, said that when developing projects for modernization of production, the pharmaceutical concern focuses mainly on operations and processes. In 2020, 180.5 million hryvnias of capital investments were allocated to modernize production and ensure compliance with international standards, maintain high quality with minimal resource costs and reduce the time to create products. Special attention is also paid to the organization of supplies and satisfying the demand for medicines, regardless of the turbulence of the external environment.
The development strategy of Darnitsa production is devised until 2030. In addition to systemic investments in modernization, it includes a policy of continuous improvement of processes, as well as the involvement of all employees to maximize focus on the interests and needs of consumers.
In particular, the company is now using SMED (Single-Minute Exchange of Dies) tools to improve the efficiency of production processes. In 2020, 8 such projects were completed. The average reduction in time spent on operations in production units, where re-installation projects had been implemented, was 24.4%. Within 6 months of 2021, 5 projects were completed, which reduced the duration of changeovers by an average of 32.2%. Since the beginning of the SMED program, the total turnaround time for the company has decreased by 1.7%.
Also, a large-scale training was carried out for employees to enable them to perform in Kaizen projects. Several projects are at the concluding stages at the moment, for example, projects aimed at improving quality management processes, increasing operational efficiency, and saving resources.
“Darnitsa” is the largest medicines manufacturer in Ukraine, certified according to EU GMP. During 2010-2020, the company invested 1.218 billion hryvnias in modernization and development of the production. By focusing on development and use of innovative technologies and equipment, Darnitsa guarantees that the production of medicines is carried out under controlled conditions in compliance with the GMP requirements.