With AstraZeneca’s bold ambition to deliver $80bn Total Revenue by 2030, together with an expected 20 new medicines while driving towards net zero emissions, Global Operations is pioneering disruptive digital technologies and artificial intelligence (AI) to build world-class supply chains and transform the way our new modalities and medicines are developed, manufactured and supplied to patients.
Our digital transformation began several years ago when we started our journey towards a ‘Smart Future’ –a smart network of smart factories, enabled by a highly-skilled and digitally-savvy smart workforce. Building on our Lean foundations of simplified and efficient processes, we implemented core technology platforms and digital tools to automate and optimise these processes across our global supply network to accelerate value.
The application of real-time data visualisation, advanced analytics tools and paperless solutions gave us end-to-end visibility of demand, inventory, order status and process performance to optimise medicines development and commercial production. Enhanced data capabilities enabled us to connect and synchronise our production sites to deliver more medicines to millions of patients worldwide whist significantly reducing our carbon footprint.
WEF Global Lighthouse Network
In recognition of our world-class digital transformation, we are delighted that two of our most advanced manufacturing sites in China and Sweden have been awarded World Economic Forum (WEF) Global Lighthouse Network status. These sites join a community of other manufacturers across industry sectors that are pioneering the use of Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) technologies such as AI and big data analytics to drive productivity, enhance efficiencies, champion workforce augmentation and environmental protection.
Achieving WEF Global Lighthouse Network status is a rigorous multi-stage process that spans several years, and requires a coordinated and concerted effort across the site. It involves demonstrating leadership in implementing 4IR technologies at scale while making significant financial, operational, and sustainability improvements. Our applications were meticulously assessed by a committee of experts who visited our sites in Wuxi and Södertälje to see firsthand how we are implementing these digital technologies, and the value we have delivered for the business.
We are thrilled to welcome two of AstraZeneca’s manufacturing sites to the WEF Global Lighthouse Network, this is one of the most prestigious and rigorous global awards, with only 22 sites in 2024 across various sectors and only four from the pharmaceutical industry. This recognition highlights AstraZeneca’s excellence in scaling advanced digital technologies to deliver greater value for patients globally. The Global Lighthouse Network fosters cross-industry learning, and we look forward to collaborating with AstraZeneca to inspire further innovation in digital transformation
We are honoured to join the WEF Global Lighthouse Network. I am incredibly proud of our teams in China and Sweden, and across our global supply chain, for their leadership and leverage of advanced digital technologies to bring our life-changing medicines to millions of patients globally. We continue to innovate with new, disruptive technologies and build new capabilities, helping to deliver industry-leading growth while driving us towards our ambition of a net zero carbon footprint.
In China, we transformed our manufacturing site in the city of Wuxi by implementing more than 30 digital tools and AI-powered solutions, and by developing a digital and agile workforce. This has helped maintain speed, efficiency and quality in an increasingly complex environment, boosting output by 55%, reducing lead time by 44%, decreasing non-perfect batches by 80%, and improving productivity by 54%. It is today independently ranked in the top 10% of more than 800 world class pharmaceutical sites in quality, speed and efficiency.
At our manufacturing site in Södertälje, Sweden, we’ve pioneered the use of more than 50 digital solutions and upskilled the digital capabilities of 3,000 employees. AI-based digital twins, machine learning, process simulation and robotics has boosted productivity by 56% and reduced development lead times for launching new products by 67%. Södertälje accounts for 40% of AstraZeneca’s global production volume and is one of the largest pharmaceutical manufacturing sites in the world.
On the journey to 2030 and beyond, our supply chain will continue to evolve to one that is not just ‘smart’ but truly ‘intelligent’. In drug development, we are already using AI technologies and predictive modelling to accelerate regulatory submission filings, reducing the time taken to author some documents by 85%. In manufacturing, intelligent production sites will self-optimise for flow, enable right first-time manufacture and help us reduce the lead time needed to manufacture medicines for onward supply to our patients. Intelligent self-healing supply chains will enable us to maintain a flexible, responsive and uninterrupted supply of medicines to patients.
