June 04, 2008 - BestSweet Inc. selects Elan Software.
XFP electronic batch record software will secure and accelerate BestSweet’s release process for finished goods.
BestSweet, largest manufacturer of cough drops in the United-States, selects XFP-eBR from Elan Software.
XFP electronic batch record software will secure and accelerate BestSweet’s release process for finished goods.
Elan Software Systems, a leading provider of Manufacturing Execution System (MES) software solutions, with a customer portfolio that includes companies such as Baxter, Takeda, sanofi aventis, Rochas or Yves Rocher, announced today that BestSweet, largest U.S. manufacturer of cough drops, has chosen XFP eBR to transform its manufacturing operations into a full paperless site with increased efficiency and faster release cycle. The current deployment targets the cough lozenge production line, a critical line at BestSweet that encompasses all aspects of manufacturing including mixing, cooking, wrapping and packaging.
State-of-the-art paperless manufacturing facility
Over the years, BestSweet has transformed the business from a confectionary company making basic candies, to a technology-based manufacturing company. As of today, 80% of the plant capacity is dedicated to OTC products. OTC products take a different mindset, one that rewards innovation, applied technology and discipline.
“We employ cGMP standards to all of our drug and dietary supplement products. All our processes have had to be validated and the documentation behind these processes has significantly increased.” explains Hollis Cloninger, Vice President of Regulatory & Compliance, BestSweet. “We came to a point that we could not increase our OTC business without adding quality staff for paper reviews. We truly believed an eBR system was the right solution to our business challenge. XFP from Elan Software was the only eBR package we saw that met all regulatory requirements including cGMP Part 11, and these requirements are very unique and critical to our industry.”
Reduced costs and faster product deliveries
With the deployment of XFP eBR, BestSweet aims to replace the current burdensome paper system by electronic batch reviews. The eBRs will record and trace all steps of the manufacturing process from incoming raw materials to packaging of finished goods. The advantages of eBR include better traceability through the use of electronic signatures, security and bar-coding, improved repeatability due to stricter control of key process parameters, simpler and faster review, cross-referencing and storage of batch information. Quality staff will have no need to support the paper system, resulting in significant time savings for value added activities.
“Managing complex processes in highly regulated industries like OTC drug manufacturing is where XFP-MES excels,” said Ken Strum, Sales Director at Elan Software. “XFP-MES provides not only complete visibility and procedural control, exact as-built history and traceability but also fast and efficient batch release BestSweet needs to satisfy its customers.”
