Digital transformation in pharma is increasingly moving beyond the question of which technologies a company should adopt. The more important question is what those technologies deliver for the business.
For a pharmaceutical business, investments in automation, analytics, digital infrastructure and other technologies need to be connected to measurable improvements in efficiency, quality, compliance, customer experience and decision-making. Piramal Pharma Limited‘s
digital transformation initiatives
provide a documented example of how technology can be connected to business objectives.
What business problem should technology solve?
Technology investments are most useful when they are linked to a defined business requirement.
In pharmaceutical manufacturing, this can include improving process visibility, reducing manual intervention, strengthening quality controls or making operational data available for faster decision-making. Across business functions, the objectives can include improving customer experience, streamlining processes and increasing productivity.
Piramal Pharma’s Project Catalyst was launched as a digital transformation journey aimed at supporting profitable growth through improved customer experience, supplier collaboration, workforce productivity and operational efficiency. The company’s FY2022 annual report says the programme was designed around digital ERP, edge applications, hyper-automation and data analytics, with a three-year roadmap covering more than 50 initiatives across its entities.
By FY2023, the programme had covered three business units, 15 functions and more than 500 participants. PPL reported 15 initiatives, four business-specific digital roadmaps, a Digital Transformation Office and Centres of Excellence covering automation, analytics, IoT, ERP and infrastructure.
The underlying principle is clear: technology adoption needs to begin with a specific business or operational requirement.
Which measures capture efficiency, quality and adoption?
Measuring digital transformation requires more than counting the number of systems implemented. Companies need metrics that show whether technology is improving the processes it was introduced to support.
Piramal Pharma’s reported initiatives provide several examples. Its FY2023 annual report says quality processes were digitised across manufacturing sites, while quality-control laboratory productivity analytics were introduced at Indian and international sites to track turnaround times, improve benchmarking and reduce overall manufacturing time.
The company also reported the deployment of an AI-powered Capex Bot across manufacturing sites. According to its FY2022 annual report, the tool simplified the capital-expenditure approval process and reduced average approval lead time by 72%.
Other documented initiatives included a Manufacturing Execution System at one site to digitally control, monitor and document manufacturing processes in real time through the manufacturing cycle, as well as data analytics initiatives designed to automate business KPIs and support faster decision-making.
These examples illustrate why measures such as turnaround time, approval lead time, process automation and data availability can provide a clearer picture of digital transformation than technology deployment alone.
How can companies demonstrate sustained results?
The value of digital transformation depends on whether new systems become embedded in day-to-day operations.
That requires continued adoption, reliable data, appropriate infrastructure and alignment between technology teams and business functions. It also requires companies to monitor whether improvements are sustained after implementation.
Piramal Pharma’s FY2023 reporting described continued investment in IT infrastructure, including cloud-native infrastructure, network and server upgrades, and digital tools intended to improve efficiency, quality, compliance and security. The company also reported collaborations with technology institutions and service providers to develop and deploy new technologies.
Its sustainability reporting subsequently showed continued digital transformation through Catalyst NxGen, based on S/4HANA, alongside 17 governance dashboards intended to enhance agility and scalability.
This continuity matters because transformation is not a one-time implementation exercise. The relevant question is whether technology continues to support measurable business and operational objectives over time.
From technology adoption to business results
For pharma manufacturing, digital transformation can be assessed through indicators such as production efficiency, quality performance, process turnaround times, automation, data accuracy and compliance.
At the enterprise level, companies can also track customer experience, process efficiency, supply-chain visibility, decision-making speed and user adoption. The appropriate metrics will vary according to the business problem each technology initiative is designed to address.
Piramal Pharma’s reported technology initiatives span manufacturing, quality, supply chain, infrastructure and business functions. Its FY2023 annual report specifically identifies analytics, automation and digital technologies as tools to improve the drug-development process, manufacturing operations and supply-chain optimisation.
For healthcare innovation, the measurement challenge is particularly important because technology operates alongside requirements for data integrity, quality and regulatory compliance. Piramal Pharma’s sustainability reporting identifies technology and automation as one of the areas within its broader ESG framework, alongside operational excellence and product excellence.
The broader takeaway for investors and technology leaders is that digital transformation should ultimately be evaluated through business outcomes. Technology adoption is only the starting point. The more meaningful measures are whether the technology improves defined processes, strengthens quality and compliance, supports better decisions and delivers sustained operational value.
For Piramal Pharma Limited, the progression from Project Catalyst to subsequent digital initiatives illustrates how technology can move from an IT function towards an organisation-wide business capability, with outcomes tracked through specific operational and performance measures
Disclaimer: The above content is non-editorial, and TIL hereby disclaims any and all warranties, expressed or implied, relating to it, and does not guarantee, vouch for or necessarily endorse any of the content.
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