How quality management protects health
We would like you to learn more about our commitment to protecting health through quality management – and how we can work together to achieve our quality goals. One of our core values at Constantia Flexibles is focusing on innovation and quality to make our customers more successful. However, while our innovations tend to make headlines, our quality management efforts often go under the radar.
Quality Behind the Scenes
Although most of our customers never see what we do to ensure quality, rest assured the scope is very broad. As a manufacturer of flexible packaging, we are an important partner to the health care industry. We support our partners by providing intelligent and reliable packaging solutions. Each of our quality measures is designed to protect health, whether it is our vast global production network to ensure short lead times and prevent bottlenecks, our state-of-the-art production technology to satisfy demands for efficiency and accuracy, or the quality labs at each of our sites that keep us agile in an industry where the only constant is change. “Quality management is about meeting customer expectations that go beyond technical specifications,” explains Katharina Bleier, Quality Manager at Constantia Patz. “We always aim to develop smart solutions faster than our customers expect.”
Trust Is Good, But Verification Is Better
If there is an ISO certification for it, e.g., meeting demands like clean rooms, process validation, or primary packaging materials, you will likely find it framed on our wall. But we do not stop there. Audits are a regular feature at Constantia Flexibles, whether they are customer-mandated audits performed by independent agencies or the customers themselves, routine accreditation reviews, or internal audits with quality managers working across sites. Manfred Böswart, Vice President Quality Management Group, and his strong team of highly skilled quality managers across the globe stay in close contact to provide auditing support, establish best practices, and exchange ideas.
It Is All About People
Everyone at Constantia Flexibles knows that quality management is an integral part of a company’s success. The quality managers encourage each and every member of staff to get involved, submit their own ideas, and contribute to our prevention-oriented, continuous improvement culture. In addition to training staff, monitoring KPIs, and defining corrective measures in-house, they liaise with customers to evaluate specifications, process complaints, or assess stakeholder risks. “As quality managers,” says Micha Weik, Quality Manager at Constantia Fromm, “it is our responsibility to raise awareness for quality issues and make sure we live up to our quality standards in everyday operations.”
Better Together
As packaging demands keep evolving in the fast-moving world of pharma, we all face tough challenges, but also unique opportunities to work together to protect health. Our quality managers develop customized quality management services in close collaboration with individual customers. Customers are also invited to attend our Customer Academy events to learn from one another and pioneer new concepts. Together we can grow our collective knowledge and strengthen our networks.
Mutual Benefits Through Supplier Certification
Olga Domínguez, Quality Manager at Constantia Tobepal in Spain, worked closely with her counterparts at AstraZeneca to achieve certified supplier status for the customer’s plant in Sweden. Constantia Tobepal carried out tests, which were subsequently validated by AstraZeneca for deliveries over an agreed period of time. Each shipment to Sweden included a separate package of so-called tailgate samples, i.e., a representative sample of the delivery, and results of the in-house tests (Certificate of Analysis, CoA). The quality control team in Sweden then did their own testing to see if the results lined up. Since certification was granted in March 2017, both sides have been able to save time and resources: AstraZeneca can take its incoming goods right to the production line, after only some identity checks, and Constantia Tobepal no longer has to produce tailgate samples for every order. Constantia Tobepal and Olga Domínguez are already making plans to continue this successful track record – AstraZeneca’s Australia-based plant is next!
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