NOVARTIS
Novartis continues to grow its footprint in the US, with seven new or expanded sites announced over the past 15 months – and six of these sites are now already under construction.
“ When you reflect on the growth of the company over the past few years, our aim is to make sure that we have enough capacity to serve patients globally.” And, as Steffen emphasises, Novartis has already proven it can in an ever-changing and increasingly volatile environment, all while still delivering very high service levels. But he is clear that resilience is never finished work.
Focus on the fundamentals For all the discussion of speed, automation and digital scale, Steffen insists the fundamentals remain essential. These fundamentals are product quality, workplace safety, compliance and environmental sustainability.
“ The quality of our products, the safety of the workplaces – these are non-negotiable,” he says.“ Cost efficiency matters too, Steffen says, but only after the fundamentals are in place. It cannot come at the expense of quality or safety – something that applies equally to conventional medicines and to advanced therapies.”
The importance of sustainability and people Sustainability is another operational priority. The target is net zero across the value chain – Scope 1, 2 and 3 greenhouse gas emissions – by 2040. Since 2016, Novartis achieved carbon neutrality in its own operations, sourced almost 100 % electricity from renewables, reduced waste sent for disposal by 70 % and cut water use by more than half – even as its portfolio has grown. The bigger challenge now is Scope 3 emissions.
Steffen says the company is embedding environmental sustainability criteria into supplier contracts covering around 97 % of Scope 3 emissions and working with partners to address the main sources of emissions across the Novartis value chain.
For him, though, the real driver is people, whether at Novartis or the many companies it partners with. Steffen describes Novartis as a place where teams understand the patient behind every batch, shipment or production run. He remarks that Novartis teams are more energised than ever in their work to turn scientific breakthroughs into medicines that change lives.
It also explains why Steffen believes the future of operations will be shaped by an always innovating, always curious mindset to ensure more patients can access the medicines they need.
“ Every day I get up in the morning, I have no question about whether I enjoy what I am doing,” he says.“ I come to work because together, we make a huge impact – we redefine the future and give hope to patients.”
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