Interview with SoftGroup 2020

Interview with the Winner of the 6^th CEE Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Excellence Award!

- Solution Provider category -

To learn more about the award winning project, we interviewed Andrey Atanasov Head of Business Development at SoftGroup.

Please introduce yourself, describe your position and your company.

Andrey Atanasov "My name is Andrey Atanasov and in my role as a Head of Business Development in SoftGroup I am responsible for identifying new business areas and opportunities for the company and its expansion in new markets as well as managing the project manager’s team which takes care of the operational part.

SoftGroup is a software company that provides end-to-end traceability technology to the pharmaceutical industry worldwide. In our 15 years of experience, we have been recognized by manufacturers and Marketing Authorization Holders (MAHs) as a reliable serialization and aggregation solution provider. Our solutions cover all levels of the Track & Trace process, including aggregation processes in pharmaceutical manufacturing. We are active in Europe, Russia, CIS region, MENA and Gulf region.

SoftGroup is a certified Gateway Provider by the European Medicine Verification Organization (EMVO). The company work in close cooperation with the Centre for Research in Perspective Technologies (CRPT) and is a trusted partner of the Bulgarian Medicine Verification Organization (BgMVO)."

Which solutions and improvements did you introduce for your client?

Andrey Atanasov "For Phytopharm Klęka S.A project, we have provided an automated serialization and aggregation processes according to the European regulations and the Russian requirements which are the most dynamic requirements within the serialization project worldwide. Moreover, the fully adapted software and hardware have been set up to the existing production processes without affecting the production capacity and have ensured secured communication between the business partners and all existing ERP and Warehouse systems."

How did this contribute to your client’s success?

Andrey Atanasov "The SoftGroup® SaTT solution brings to Phytopharm Klęka S.A. 5 key benefits:

One point of contact for all issues, related to serialization and aggregation
Software and hardware which is fully compliant with Russian and European regulations and standards
Extremely low rejection rate
User-friendly interface adapted in Polish and English
24/7 Support service"

What was the innovation within your project which made you win the 6th CEE Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Excellence Award?

Andrey Atanasov "Besides the fully automated serialization and aggregation solution regarding the Russian requirements as well as communication with the RU HUB, the most challenging was providing the customized ERP integration with automated connection to our software, the integration into fully automated production line built by another vendor without affecting its current architecture, capacity, and productivity as well as the automated export to the customer’s warehouse system."

How do you think the recognition is helping you to raise your brand awareness further?

Andrey Atanasov "It was a great honor to be awarded for a second time and to be recognized as an innovative solution provider. That gives us extra motivation to keep up the good work.

I believe winning this award will be very helpful for us in all future conversations with the companies in Eastern Europe and will help us strengthen our position as an innovator and a trusted partner to the pharmaceutical companies, especially in the Polish market."

In your opinion, how is the award supporting the developments of manufacturing excellence solutions in the CEE region?

Andrey Atanasov "The PHARM Connect Congress is a well-known event within the pharma world in the CEE region and brings together many people from the industry. Basically, everybody could see what we did in our project and how we work. We hope this will inspire others and of course, we will be happy if they can show us something that will inspire us too.

We truly believe that continuous development makes the solution providers competitive and we support innovative thinking in every stage of our company."

From your perspective, which are the biggest challenges the pharmaceutical industry is facing nowadays in the CEE region?

Andrey Atanasov "Despite the strong competition, there are challenges accumulating for the pharmaceutical industry which will profoundly change the business model. Most of the transition countries in Central and Eastern Europe are under cost pressure from fitting their production with the fast-changing regulation around the world regarding serialization.

The costs for working with different vendors for setting up the whole production process are another stumbling block which is just an extra burden for the manufacturers."

How are you supporting your clients to overcome them?

Andrey Atanasov "At SoftGroup, we invest a lot of effort to build productive partnerships with our clients by providing them all-in-one traceability solutions. Furthermore, we put on the spotlight the specifics of each business case. The full adaptation of the solution is not only focused on the technical part, but it is also including the market positioning of the client and its real business needs."

Are you planning to apply for the award again in the future?

Andrey Atanasov "The innovation is the main pillar which drives SoftGroup. We will be delighted to share the new challenging projects and customer cases that provoke our creativity."

Are you planning to attend PHARM Connect again next year?

Andrey Atanasov "We actively work on the markets of the CEE region and participation in an event like PHARM Connect Congress which is one of the most important pharmaceutical and biotechnology congresses summited in the Central Eastern European region is a must. All the valuable contacts we made will help us to be one step toward building new successful partnerships."

We are passionate about bringing together annually the best representatives and innovators of the pharmaceutical industry to create a valuable and engaged professional network in Central and Eastern Europe. If you think your solution is cutting-edge and should be recognized by the industry, apply for the next CEE Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Excellence Award and put your business in the spotlight by presenting your solution at the upcoming Congress!

MORE ABOUT THE AWARD

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2020/03/10

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