Our 2020 summer series has begun! This summer, over the course of seven weeks, we’ll be offering a unique glimpse behind the scenes. Each week, you’ll be taken on a tour of the various departments involved in the entire process when you have your health product manufactured by DuSart Pharma: from the enquiry stage through to production, and from packaging to dispatch.
Today we’re starting at the beginning: how does the enquiry process work, who will you be in contact with, and what role does our Product Development department play in your enquiry? Thirza and Yvonne, over to you!
Enquiry
All enquiries we receive are forwarded immediately to account manager Thirza. Thirza reviews the enquiry and assesses whether it involves a complex and/or new product development, or whether it is a smaller-scale and/or familiar enquiry. Based on this, Thirza consults with Yvonne (product development manager) to go through the enquiry in detail and check whether we have all the information from the client needed to manufacture the product. The team that will work on the enquiry is also put together.
The most important aspect of the enquiry process is that the customer’s requirements are entirely clear. Whether it concerns the ingredients, the packaging requirements or the country of sale, every aspect can have a significant impact on the development, quality and price of the product. Close collaboration between the account manager, the Product Development department and the customer is standard practice for us, ensuring we deliver the highest quality and meet the customer’s expectations. We are dedicated to service and therefore involve the customer as much as possible in the development and production of their product.
Thirza: “I think it’s really cool to see products on the market that started out on my desk. Every new enquiry is a new challenge, and I find that leading and seeing these projects through to completion is one of the best parts of my job!”
Product Development
Ultimately, all enquiries regarding new products are channelled to Yvonne, our product development manager. She works alongside a dedicated quality team comprising Thirza (account manager), Jack (plant manager) and Lisa & Mariska (purchasing department). The team assesses the technical feasibility of the product, the availability of ingredients and the legal aspects, whilst continuously weighing up whether we can fully meet the customer’s requirements. In addition, drawing on our knowledge and expertise, we proactively contribute ideas on how we can make the product even better. Naturally, we do this in close consultation with the customer.
Our Product Development department also develops product concepts on request for specific applications. Whilst these requests often have a longer lead time, we particularly enjoy them as they allow us to apply newly acquired knowledge. Working with the latest ingredients and devising innovative ingredient combinations is not just our profession – it is our passion!
Yvonne: “Product development suits me well because of the variety in the work. For example, I really enjoy devising great formulations and I also enjoy conducting literature reviews.”
Yvonne: “I keep track of what’s happening in the market and what new developments there are. I also maintain close contact with suppliers and attend trade fairs and seminars on new ingredients. The development of raw materials is anything but static: new ingredients and/or more easily absorbable variants are constantly entering the market. At DuSart Pharma, I’m still learning every day about which technical aspects are important. Here too, we strive to keep developing, so that we can keep pace with innovations, higher quality standards and pure formulations.”
Once the product development team has produced a proposal for a formulation, the Procurement department begins sourcing the ingredients and requesting quotations. This is discussed in more detail in Part II. Based on this information and the customer’s packaging requirements, the account manager can begin the costing process and, from there, draw up the quotation. This, together with the General Terms and Conditions of Sale, is sent to the customer for approval before the first contract manufacturing run of the product begins!
