The Study of the Role of Digital Transformation on the Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Process in the Nigerian Pharmaceutical Industry.

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Authors
Oluderu, Motunrayo
Issue Date
2021
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In this dissertation, an exploration of the role of digital transformation in the Nigerian pharmaceutical manufacturing industry was studied. The study was constructed around descriptive primary exploratory research design and a qualitative research method was used in achieving a robust understanding of the relevance of digital transformation and various advanced digital tools in a pharmaceutical manufacturing operation in the wake of the recent industrial 4.0 revolution and hence pharma 4.0 concept which entails being smart and efficient in achieving manufacturing excellence. To achieve this aim, a purposive snowballing sampling technique was used in enlisting Ten (10) pharmaceutical industry experts who are familiar with pharmaceutical manufacturing operations and knowledgeable on the various industrial developments around them. Using mobile phone calls, five (5) separate in-depth semi-structured interviews were successfully conducted with the five of the experts who were sourced from different secondary drug-producing companies in Nigeria. In the interviews conducted, sixteen (16) questions, formulated through inductive reasoning, were used as a guide and all responses were audiotaped, transcribed into text equivalent, and analyzed using thematic content analysis. In the analysis of the interview data, six major themes were identified and discussed. The study found out that while there is an awareness of the concept of digital transformation in the Nigerian pharmaceutical industry environment, the industry is nevertheless “digitally immature” as the manufacturing process is exclusively driven by traditional. It is as well found out in the study digital transformation comes with the potential to achieve operational excellence (measured in term of reduced waste, decreased error/batch defect rate, improved product quality, less equipment downtime, etc.) and contribute to business excellence by positively impacting the business model of pharma companies in Nigeria which is based on speed to market and competitive pricing that requires efficient production and effective cross-functional supply chain integration). While these were identified as some of the endless potentials of digital transformation in pharma manufacturing, cultivating a digital mindset was found to be an integral initiative in achieving digital transformation in the Nigerian manufacturing industry environment which is not free of challenges. Factors including poor infrastructural developments, lack of investment and resources were identified as “general barrier/challenges” while factors including knowledge gap, lack of expertise, and regulatory hurdles were identified as “industry-specific barriers/challenges” faced by Nigerian pharmaceutical companies in embracing pharma 4.0 model and achieving digital transformation and hence making the industry to be digitally immature.

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