Global life sciences company invests in Esko WebCenter

Global life sciences company Legacy Seagen, now part of Pfizer, has reduced its packaging artwork proofing time from eight hours to just 20-30 minutes through its implementation of the Esko WebCenter platform.

According to Esko, in an industry where accuracy and compliance are paramount, many life sciences companies still rely on manual, paper-based processes for managing packaging artwork. This practice creates significant challenges when scaling operations globally. Esko WebCenter is specifically designed to help regulated industries digitize these critical workflows while maintaining complete traceability.

Allison Masters, senior manager of labeling operations, said: ‘When we were a small company, we could simply walk a piece of paper across an office, but once we became more of a global presence and expanded our product line and the Coronavirus pandemic hit, paper-based was not a feasible option for growth.’

Following the introduction of WebCenter, the company saw a 94 percent reduction in proofing time for new components, down from eight hours to just 20-30 minutes. Digital comparison capabilities replaced manual character-by-character reviews, and consolidated digital approval workflows eliminated paper-based routing. With enhanced audit trail and traceability, real-time project status tracking, efficiency monitoring and improved ‘Right First Time’ metrics tracking, WebCenter has transformed the company’s packaging approval process.

‘We are now able to see a real audit history of where things are at,’ added Masters. ‘Everything was handled via Microsoft Teams or through emails before and there wasn’t a good way to track things down. Now we are able to go into a project, easily identify what needs to be done and by which member of the team, and we report on that. By tracking Right First Time metrics, we can measure how long tasks take to better plan and identify where we can improve efficiencies.’

‘The life sciences sector faces unique challenges in packaging development, with strict regulatory requirements and the critical need for perfect accuracy,’ said Jan De Roeck, CMO at Esko. ‘This hugely successful implementation demonstrates how WebCenter can transform operations while maintaining the highest compliance standards, enabling companies to scale globally without compromising control.’

In September 2024, a TEI study found that using Esko WebCenter yields a significant three-year return on investment of 240 percent for brands. The research also highlights productivity gains, cost savings, and revenue gains as quantifiable benefits.