Probi

Founded in 1991, the company has grown quickly and now employs 37 people at its head office in Sweden and has customers all over the world. Working with leading consumer brands including Danone and NBTY, and with over 100 patents on bacterial strains, Probi specialises in the safe and compliant research and development of consumer health care and functional food products that contribute towards a range of health benefits. These include improved gastrointestinal health, a stronger immune system and improved nutrient uptake. Probi also boasts the bestselling functional fruit drink in Sweden, ProViva.

Migrating quality control and document management processes to a more intuitive system was a prerequisite to Probi’s ongoing success. As such, Probi began the process of researching the various solutions available on the market.

An initial task was to scope out Probi’s requirements and build a business case for purchasing an Electronic Quality Management System (EQMS). Essential functionality included:

• The ability to access documents quickly via a searchable storage system
• Quick access to a document’s full life cycle – from creation to deletion
• Clear version control protocols to protect against duplication
• Usability
• Competitive price point
• Access to localised IT support

To ensure due diligence, Probi received demonstrations from a number of software vendors before selecting Sigma and the EQMS Platina LS by Formpipe. One of the key qualities of the Platina LS platform that contributed to Formpipe’s selection was the fact that Platina LS has been developed for use specifically within the life science sector. As such, the software provides full support for meeting the associated regulatory compliance. Additionally, the ability to gain control and visibility over all customers’ interactions with documentation was hugely appealing.

Commenting on the selection process, Sigma consultant, Michael Lauridsen, said: “Probi identified a need to move away from its traditional method of controlling documentation but with a limited IT resource in-house was, like many organisations, unsure of what the new method needed to look like and how best to go about selecting the most appropriate application. Probi was investing in the future of its business so took a very serious and scientific approach to scope out its exact requirements, building a strong business case and reviewing a wide range of EQMS products on the market.”

Platina LS provides Probi with complete control and visibility over a document’s history. With the system now in place, Probi can be certain of which documents customers have or have not been sent, when and what changes have been made and who made them. Document duplication is no longer a concern for Probi so staff can have total faith that the version managed within Platina LS is the most up-to-date and correct version available. This supports better data integrity practices and ensures Probi’s growing customer base receives the right document the first time, every time.

Emma adds: “We’re now fully up and running with Platina LS and the difference is like night and day. It is now much quicker to locate technical documentation, which as a small team makes a big difference to our overall productivity. 2015 was our most successful year to date and we are hoping to do even better this year. We view Platina LS as a solid foundation upon which we can build a really strong, safe and efficient business. Now it’s in place and being used, we can enter into new markets, and expand our business and our number of customers without compromising the high standards of care and service that have become synonymous with Probi over the years. I would recommend Platina LS to any organisation looking for a highly intuitive, effective, reliable and user-friendly EQMS.”