CUSTOMER NEWS
NEWICON OY
2
2018
CUSTOMER MAGAZINE
THE PRINCIPAL QUALITY CRITERION FOR AN AUTOMATED DISPENSING SYSTEM IS RELIABILITY
HEAR IT FROM US AT NEWICON
An up-to-date quality management system improves risk management
TIPS FROM AN EXPERT
A quality certificate communicates responsibility
2018
2/ 2018 CUSTOMER MAGAZINE | NEWICON OY
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QUALITY BRINGS HAPPINESS Editorial
NEWS FROM NEWICON In short
THE PRINCIPAL QUALITY CRITERION FOR AN AUTOMATED DISPENSING SYSTEM IS RELIABILITY Customer news
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AN UP-TO-DATE QUALITY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM IMPROVES RISK MANAGEMENT Hear it from us at NewIcon
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A QUALITY CERTIFICATE COMMUNICATES RESPONSIBILITY Tips from an expert
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“The quality management system is a visible part of our everyday work. It is a great tool for learning and continuous improvement.” 12 | Joona Turunen, Quality Manager
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ICON NEWS Publisher NewIcon Oy Changes of address & subscriptions info@newicon.fi Editorial staff Jori-Matti Savolainen, NewIcon Oy Jooli markkinointi & viestintä Oy Design & layout Kotisaari Graphic Management Oy Printed in Grano Oy
NewIcon is a health tech company specialising in pharmacy automation systems based on advanced software and robotics. Hospitals and pharmacies everywhere in the world value Finnish health technology which enhances safe, efficient and rational pharmaceutical service. The company has a subsidiary in Denmark, a joint venture in China and distributors in six countries.
EDITORIAL
Quality brings happiness The fundamental purpose of our work is to make our customers happy. We have noticed that the best way to create happiness is to create quality, which promotes the safety, efficiency and rationality of pharmaceutical services. We always aim high in order to keep our customers in hospitals and pharmacies happy.
OSSI PARVIAINEN The author is the CEO of NewIcon Oy
But what is quality? It is more than just reliable pharmacy automation systems with short ROI times. Quality means comprehensive improvement arising from our daily work and extending across all of our processes. Solid shared processes in, say, production and customer service create high-quality products and services. In my years as an entrepreneur, I have learned that quality is refined through communication and cooperation. Our quality management process begins with our solution-oriented salespeople calling pharmaceutical professionals and discussing their day-to-day problems. We always sit down with the customer and find the best overall solution for their problems. Personally, I also associate quality with confident action stemming from professional expertise, such as systematic quality measurement and lightning-fast responses to non-conformities. Confidence and attentiveness to customer needs build trust. In fact, I consider quality and trust to be almost synonymous. That is why I believe that customer satisfaction is one of the most important measures of quality. In this magazine, our Quality Manager Joona Turunen talks more about our quality management system, which we updated in June 2018. Pharmacist Leena Melartin of the Kalasatama Pharmacy also tells us what quality means for her. And don’t miss the interview of Kiwa Inspecta’s Lead Auditor Reija Poikonen and her tips on improving quality! I concur with Reija that a quality management system helps companies meet customer expectations, ensure continuous improvement and improve their competitiveness. Enjoy our magazine!
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“IN MY YEARS AS AN ENTREPRENEUR, I HAVE LEARNED THAT QUALITY IS REFINED THROUGH COMMUNICATION AND COOPERATION.”
NEWS FROM NEWICON
Automated dispensing system for Rambam Hospital in Israel NewIcon won a public contract for Israel’s fifth-largest hospital, Rambam Health Care Campus, with its MegaFixu automated dispensing system. The 1,000-bed hospital, located in Haifa, invested millions in pharmacy automation. NewIcon stood out from the competition because of its ability to integrate the automated dispensing system with the hospital’s local information systems. The Mega-Fixu is 10 metres long and 2.5 metres high and is equipped with a wide variety of ADS accessories.
Joint venture General Icon headed for market leadership in hospital pharmacy automation in China
NewIcon consolidates its position in the Nordics
NewIcon’s partnership with the Chinese company Shanghai General Healthy Information Technology Co. Ltd. (SGHT) has taken off quickly. General Icon, the joint venture established by the two companies in the spring of 2018, has supplied pharmacy robots to two hospitals in Eastern China’s Shandong Province. There has also been demand for a fully automated dispensing system,
NewIcon and Swedish Medirum AB have signed a retail agreement on the sale of NewIcon’s pharmacy automation systems to Swedish hospitals. Medirum will add the MegaFixu automated dispensing system, eMED ICON automated dispensing cabinet and IV ICON Twins compounding system for intravenous antibiotics to its product selection, which covers a wide range of medical and health care appliances.
and the company installed the first ADS in Beijing Hospital in June. This joint venture between Finnish and Chinese health technology companies has committed to purchasing hundreds of pharmacy automation systems from New Icon in 2018–2022. Its potential customers consist of 1,300 automation-ready hospitals in China and Hong Kong.
The hospital personnel has been enthusiastic and helpful towards the adoption of automation systems. When making medications manually, the personnel was exposed to hazardous substances. Thanks to the robots, this is no longer a concern.
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CUSTOMER NEWS TEXT: IINA TIIHONEN PHOTOS: SAMI HEISKANEN
Leena Melartin Pharmacy owner Operated her own pharmacy since 2012 Hobbies Summer house, paddling, cycling, telemark and crossfit Motto If you want something done, you need to do something about it What do you cook for friends and family? Meatballs
The principal quality criterion for an automated dispensing system is reliability 6
In September 2018, pharmacy owner Leena Melartin closed the doors of her pharmacy in Helsinki’s Sörnäinen district and opened new premises in the brand new Redi shopping centre in Kalasatama, Helsinki. The new pharmacy is also equipped with an IsoFixu automated dispensing system (ADS) to ensure the quality of pharmaceutical service.
As soon as the move was decided, Melartin knew that she wanted an automated dispensing system in her new pharmacy. “Automation is the norm nowadays, and the ADS helps us serve the larger number of customers of a shopping centre pharmacy more efficiently. I also think of IsoFixu as an investment – if I decide to sell the pharmacy one day, the ADS will increase its value”, says Melartin about her investment decision. Iso-Fixu has made the pharmacy staff’s work faster and easier. Thanks to the automated dispensing system, customer service is less hectic, allowing staff to serve each customer even better than before. “For us, the most important quality criterion is the absolute reliability of the pharmacy robot and its technical support. There has been no need for maintenance yet, but with NewIcon, we can rely on support whenever we need it. Things such as these have a significant impact on the everyday running of our pharmacy”, Melartin says.
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“Towards the end of construction, we noticed that the pharmacy ceiling was lower than we had originally thought. We had to change the dimensions of the Iso-Fixu on the spot, but everything went very smoothly. I think that says something about the quality of NewIcon’s service”, Melartin states.
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NEW, EASILY ACCESSIBLE AND SPACIOUS PREMISES Melartin’s previous pharmacy, located in the Sörnäinen district of Helsinki, was a little brick-and-mortar pharmacy on Hämeentie. Since the new pharmacy is located in a new building, she could design it from the ground up. “Besides the automated dispensing system, I love the light and space in the new pharmacy. It is very spacious and easily accessible. This is a great improvement from what we used to have – even the front door was so heavy that it took quite an effort to open”, Melartin says with a laugh. Melartin made the decision to invest in an Iso-Fixu more than a year before the Redi shopping centre and her new pharmacy opened in Kalasatama, so she had plenty of time for planning and designing. “During the final stretch of the construction project, we noticed that the pharmacy ceiling was lower than we had originally thought. We had to change the dimensions of the Iso-Fixu on the spot, but everything went very smoothly. I think that says something about the quality of NewIcon’s service”, says Melartin. After its opening, Redi has been criticised for its labyrinthine corridors and for lacking signage. “Time will tell how quickly people discover our pharmacy, and how quickly Iso-Fixu will pay for itself. However, I am satisfied with the investment and our new premises”, Melartin concludes.
KALASATAMA PHARMACY Owner: Leena Melartin, Pharmacist (M.Sc.) Staff: 15 employees, 1 pharmacist Annual prescriptions filled: 60,000 (2017) Iso-Fixu installed: in September 2018
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HEAR IT FROM US AT NEWICON TEXT: IINA TIIHONEN PHOTOS: MARKUS ASPEGREN, ALIAS STUDIO
AN UP-TO-DATE QUALITY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM IMPROVES RISK MANAGEMENT NewIcon upgraded its quality management system from ISO 9001:2008 to ISO 9001:2015 in June. Customers experience the company’s commitment to quality as excellent products and services. The company’s goal is to improve the efficiency of its customers’ operations through pharmacy automation without compromising on patient safety. For NewIcon, the most significant practical changes relate to the requirements for the management of risks and opportunities. This translates to developing even smoother and more efficient processes. “There will always be risks – the important thing is how the company takes them into account in its operations. The aim is to identify risks at a sufficiently early stage that we can take appropriate measures to prepare for them”, says NewIcon’s Quality Manager Joona Turunen, who oversaw the update. Risks can be related to, for example, the supply chain, competencies or stakeholders. Individual risks can be very low at first, but materialise into something more formidable due to changes in the environment. “Economic growth can create shortages of certain components on the market, which requires us to safeguard the operation of our supply chain with backup suppliers and buffer stocks. As another example, when developing a product, we could suddenly realise that our organisation lacks the required competencies. The control measures for this risk include recruitment, in-house training and utilising the expertise of our partners”, Turunen says.
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Joona Turunen Quality Manager Worked at NewIcon for 2.5 years Motto You never stop learning
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A QUALITY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM IS A TOOL FOR CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
“WE WANT TO OPERATE ACCORDING TO BEST PRACTICES, BECAUSE THE QUALITY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM HELPS US TO TAKE BETTER HEED OF THE NEEDS AND EXPECTATIONS OF OUR CUSTOMERS AND STAKEHOLDERS.”
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Before, NewIcon used to address the company’s risks and opportunities by simply discussing them. According to the new procedure, risks are recorded and rated by their impact on the company. Based on the rating, we then decide whether the situation should be monitored, addressed immediately at the process management level or taken straight to senior management. Opportunities and development ideas are also recorded and processed. The new quality management system imposes fewer documentation requirements and emphasises results. Annual audits are used to follow the realisation of the company’s quality targets in its products and services. “The quality management system is a visible part of our everyday work. It is a great tool for continuous learning and improvement. In addition to audits, the system is used in management reviews to determine whether sufficient measures have been taken and to identify potential for improvement”, Turunen says. Companies can do business without quality certificates, but NewIcon has wanted to make a commitment to improving quality. The quality management system sets certain guidelines that companies can adapt to their own purposes. “We want to operate according to best practices, because the quality management system helps us to take better heed of the needs and expectations of our customers and stakeholders. For us, the quality of products and services means that the customer gets precisely what they ordered. If a device supplied by us would break or not live up to the customer’s expectations, that would mean that our quality management process was not doing its job”, Turunen concludes.
Product lifespan management brings deliveries to customers faster The product lifespan management project is one of NewIcon’s new internal development initiatives. The technical product specifications of all devices are systematically entered into the PLM system, which enables effortless sharing, enrichment and reuse of the data. The product data compiled into the system is available quickly and reliably. According to NewIcon’s Supply Chain Manager Mauri Kankkunen, PLM covers the lifespan management of pharmacy automation devices even after their delivery to the customer.
According to NewIcon’s Supply Chain Manager Mauri Kankkunen, NewIcon’s goal is also to improve the turnaround of projects and the reliability and predictability of deliveries.
A Lean whiteboard helps the R&D team optimise its work In August, NewIcon’s R&D team introduced a Lean whiteboard, on which they record all ongoing and new projects and their phases. Thanks to the visual Lean whiteboard, the entire staff can see at a glance the status of each project and anything else that could impact their work. The whiteboard has dramatically reduced the amount of interruptions in design work and helped with the coordination of different teams. NewIcon has been implementing the principles of Lean, i.e. continuous improvement, since 2015. Research and Development Manager Perttu Kainulainen (in the middle) is in charge of developing the Lean board. R&D team’s internal slogan is “let’s not run faster, let’s make the trip shorter.”
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TIPS FROM AN EXPERT TEXT: IINA TIIHONEN
A quality certificate communicates responsibility A quality management system is a tool for the management and development of a company’s operations. The world’s best-known quality standard, ISO 9001, is a good match for hospitals, pharmacies and health tech companies like NewIcon – organisations that share a development-oriented and qualityconscious mindset. Anticipation and risk management are the key considerations in designing quality management processes for the health care and pharmacy industries. According to Product Manager and Lead Auditor Reija Poikonen of Kiwa Inspecta, the ISO 9001 quality management system is a voluntary but useful management and development tool for companies. The harmonisation of practices and adherence to the principles of the quality management system make daily work easier. “The ISO 9001 quality management system has been constantly growing in popularity in pharmacies and hospitals. When the end customer is someone in need of treatment, patient and user safety are especially important in quality management processes”, Poikonen says. A quality certificate communicates responsibility and improves cost-efficiency as risk management reduces errors. “Without a doubt, following a quality management system broadcasts a certain corporate image. It helps to meet customer expectations, improve competitiveness and ensure the continuous improvement of practices”, says Poikonen, listing the benefits of quality management.
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Reija Poikonen MBA, Product Manager, Lead Auditor
Company Kiwa Inspecta is the leading auditing, testing, certification, consultancy and training service company in Northern Europe. Motto Trust, Quality, Progress Contact information www.inspecta.fi
Did you know this about quality management systems? • The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) has designed the ISO 9000 series of certificates setting official standards for the management of organisations and companies from the perspectives of quality management and quality assurance. • A quality management system provides a framework for designing the company’s operations and processes • The development areas covered by ISO 9001 are management responsibility, resource management, process management, measurement, analysis and improvement.
WHEN IT COMES TO QUALITY, A POSITIVE ATTITUDE TO DEVELOPMENT WILL GET YOU FAR Quality management certificates are granted by independent certification bodies. Kiwa Inspecta is an international certification body that evaluates and audits corporate management systems and business operations and certifies them if they meet the requirements. Kiwa Inspecta audited NewIcon in the spring of 2018, when the company updated its quality management system from ISO 9001:2008 to ISO 9001:2015. “The certification of a quality management system can sound like a daunting project, but help and support is available. A certification project has two phases. The first phase consists of a review of the requirements for the quality system and the company’s current status, with the actual audit conducted in the second phase. The level of quality management in companies that apply for the certificate can vary quite a bit”, Poikonen says. The audit examines the company’s management system and the related materials, such as indicators, risks and opportunities, and changes in operations. The auditor reviews the company’s processes, tours the premises and observes day-to-day activities, and interviews personnel. At the closing meeting, the auditor give the company a written report on his or her findings. “A quality management certificate indicates that a company is quality-conscious and responsible and strives for continuous improvement. Quality is measured by the ability to fulfil customer and stakeholder needs and minimise variation in products and services”, Poikonen concludes.
• An external certification body can award the ISO quality management system certificate to an organisation as proof of compliance with quality management principles.
Improving quality – tips from the expert
• Start by comparing the current operations of your pharmacy or hospital to the quality management system’s requirements • Analyse the risks and opportunities involved in your operations and think about measures to address them • Focus on the customer, be open and listen to their wishes and needs regarding your products and services • Don’t forget the importance of a positive attitude to change!
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HEAD OFFICE
SUBSIDIARY
NewIcon Oy Viestikatu 1-3 70600 Kuopio, Finland Finland
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Tel. +358 10 3221 800 Fax +358 10 3221 819 sales@newicon.fi
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