Aspen Oss B.V., Oss, Netherlands

For more than 90 years, Aspen Oss has produced Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients. Its activities began in 1923, when Organon’s founder and owner of a slaughterhouse Saal van Swanenberg started the extraction of animal components for the production of insulin for pharmaceutical use. Traditionally, main therapeutic areas have been women’s health (contraception and fertility), anesthesia and neuroscience.

Aspen Oss’s more than 1,000 employees generate sales of about ZAR 35,600 million.

About the Project

Aspen Nursed Its Business to Full Health by Standardizing SAP ERP with NTT DATA Business Solutions

Adopting Pharmaceutical Best Practices

Based in the Netherlands, Aspen Oss B.V. provides the world with vital pharmaceutical products. Regulations in the industry are incredibly strict and exemplary data quality is required. Having three different ERP systems made managing data a challenge. For this reason, Aspen turned to NTT DATA Business Solutions to consolidate all of its vital customer information in a single platform.

NTT DATA Business Solutions had the industry knowledge and SAP expertise to help the pharmaceutical giant achieve this, and, at the same time, deeply connected with Aspen employees. Jeroen van den Broek, Business Systems Manager at Aspen, explains: “We chose NTT DATA Business Solutions because it uses industry best practices and understands employee challenges. In this way, we know that we will remain compliant with regulations, such as those set by the FDA, and boost company efficiency and user acceptance.”

A Central System Provides the Cure

Aspen can never stand still when it comes to production and operation. Many organizations and people rely on their products. Service interruption was never an option. As a local service provider, who worked in the same language, NTT DATA Business Solutions was able to provide quick support. In a collaboration between the two companies, a single implementation blue print was drawn up. Utilizing proven settings, the project was completed within the agreed timeframe and budget, and without service disruption.

Aspen integrated three ERP systems and 15 applications for processing all vital company data, including purchase, production, logistics, and sales, into SAP^® ERP. The company can now keep track of crucial processes to ensure the highest level of service and care. Consequently, Aspen now maintains a single version of the truth. 500 employees currently use the system, with 180 working simultaneously.

“The consultants and standard implementation method of NTT DATA Business Solutions quickly gained the trust of our employees.”

Jeroen van den Broek, Business Systems Manager, Aspen Oss BV

Foundation Laid for the Future

Overall, by streamlining and integrating key business processes, Aspen employees can now work more efficiently and effectively together. The company also learnt a great deal in terms of deploying and operating a complex ERP environment. This is particularly important due to Aspen working in numerous countries and often undertaking new ventures in different locations. Furthermore, the scalable nature of the solution means that performing future changes is a simple task. In an industry where regulations are continuously changing, Aspen can rest assured that they comply with regulations and can adapt accordingly for the future.