As the stringent regulatory requirements and effective productivity concerns looming large in the pharmaceutical industry, the business automation system with integrated mode is gaining ground in the sector. Of late, two of the leading pharma companies in Mumbai, Themis Medicare and Group Pharmaceuticals have engaged Progen Consultancy Services (PCS) to fully integrate its business functions with former''s software solution PERP, which will take care of the complete operation of production, distribution and marketing with fully documented and systematic way.

Progen ERP (PERP) is a pharma-specific, indigenously developed ERP system that covers all functional areas in a pharmaceutical enterprise. Currently, this package has been implemented in 120 sites in India and abroad. The companies, where PERP has been successfully implemented, include Sigma Laboratories, Biersdorf India, Wallace Pharmaceuticals, Biochem Pharma, Kremoint Pharma, Procter & Gamble etc.

The ERP package, according to Manish Sharma, director, PCS, would cost in the range of Rs 15 lakh to Rs 1.5 crore in accordance with the specifications of the modules and the number of users. But the productivity enhancement and the completely documented production system, would help the companies to reduce the total overhead cost to 40 to 60 per cent over a period of time with the implementation of this pharma specific ERP solution, which takes care of the entire activities of a pharma unit from the planning to purchase, production, inventory, excise duties, taxes, marketing, billing etc., he said.

Group Pharmaceuticals, specializing in healthcare products and manufacturing of dental care products on a third-party-basis for Dr. Reddy''s Labs with an annual turn over of Rs 250 million, has its corporate office in Mumbai. The company has its plants at Tarapur, Thane and Mallur, near Bangalore. PERP will be implemented at all the sites and for all its modules, which include finance, materials, production, HR, distribution and marketing & Sales and others. PERP was selected out of 2-3 other vendors for it being a pharma-specific software & compliant to Indian statutory norms. The PERP - Distribution Management Software has also been approved for installation at Group Pharma''s distributors at 15 locations all over India, Manish informed.

Similarly, Themis Medicare, one of the leading pharmaceutical companies and an Indo-Hungarian joint venture, is involved in the manufacture and marketing of life-saving pharmaceutical bulk drugs and formulations of synthetic and fermentation origin in the domestic and international markets.