MICROSOFT
Walker recounts a past conversation he had with a pharma company .
“ They were talking about how one of their key priorities is to digitise all instances of paper use ,” he says . “ On the surface I couldn ’ t disagree with that .
“ But I asked if this meant putting scanners into their factories at each process-step to make sure that all paper was scanned , and then entered into a document management system .
“ Then I asked if they wanted instead to solve the root problem , which was fundamentally how to reinvent the business process and how data is handled .” This , he says , requires a rethink of the organisations ’ relationship with data and the tools that manage it .
Digital twins can co-exist at different levels in a single company Walker says he knows of pharma organisations that are leveraging digital twins for an end-to-end view of their supply chain . But does this tick all the boxes that need to be ticked , even ? Probably not , he feels .
“ When you look at these digital twins there ' s different levels and types . You have layers of digital twins that coexist within an organisation . Some represent the asset itself . Some represent the people and the interaction . Some represent the process , and others represent the facility or the entire supply chain . “
Walker says that what is needed , and often lacking , is a strategy around creating “ a common data platform that is able to create digital threads to connect all of this data ”, and “ a full genealogy of everything that was involved in the creation of all these layers of digital twins ”.
What makes Microsoft unique is our commitment to industry specific standards and communities , such as the Open Manufacturing Platform , the OPC Foundation , the Digital Twins Consortium and our innovative partner ecosystem , coupled with composable and extensible solutions that seamlessly connect people , assets , workflows and businesses processes . Our technology is giving businesses more intelligence and visibility than ever before and making operations more adaptable .
Looking at the bigger geopolitical picture , Walker says pharma companies are changing the shape of their businesses , by stepping away from globalisation .
“ I ' ve heard from four very senior executives in the pharma supply chain that globalisation as an approach is dead ,” he says . “ Now it ' s more about de-globalisation and modularity . Many of my customers are creating an ecosystem of ecosystems strategy whereby they are regional ecosystem hubs that serve specific markets . However , each one of these is still loosely connected and provides a level of autonomy but also flexibility .”
Walker references McDonalds here because “ they solved this problem in the fifties with the franchise model ”.
He adds : “ Why make every one of your factories unique and bespoke when you can create a franchise model that provides speed , modularity , and flexibility through a common set of methods and standards ? For example , maybe it would be possible to take an oral solid dose drug and make the manufacturing and supply chain 90 % standard across all applicable factories .
“ This also gives you a level of nimbleness and agility in the marketplace that you won ' t have in linear supply chains with bespoke factories .”
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