Fast warehouse integration, validated processes: EDI at Midas Pharma

Midas Pharma, headquartered in Ingelheim, is a specialist when it comes to products, services, and know-how along the entire pharmaceutical value chain. True to the motto “expertise from a single source,” the mid-sized company serves as a partner for, among other things, the distribution of pharmaceutical active ingredients as well as finished medicinal products. The service portfolio is complemented by offerings in the areas of licensing deals, pharmaceutical contract manufacturing, and support with regulatory topics as well as quality management issues. As a virtual company, Midas creates value by offering a broad spectrum of expertise in project management and efficiently coordinating and connecting the complementary factors—people, knowledge, and resources—to support global pharmaceutical projects.

On behalf of a customer, Midas was to take over logistics management, order processing, and customer service for various pharmaceutical finished products, and faced the challenge of connecting an external warehouse to the existing ERP system with an electronic interface within a very short timeframe: the project began in December, with the go-live scheduled for early February.

The connection between Midas and Yaveon was established in 2013, when the mid-sized company implemented Yaveon’s industry-specific ERP solution. It was a mix of expertise in the pharmaceutical industry, experience in validated environments, and interpersonal rapport that led Midas to choose Yaveon.

When EDI requirements arose in 2019, the ERP team introduced the right contact at Yaveon, and integration of the external warehouse was able to start immediately.

The initial idea of the logistics provider to develop an individual interface was replaced by using Yaveon’s EDI standard warehouse integration—the requirements could be seamlessly realized with the standard solution. This saved time and effort and provided security. Marc Link, Head of Digital Transformation at Midas, still remembers the early phase: “We started right away and relied on Yaveon’s experience and consulting.” To ensure smooth collaboration between Midas, the logistics provider, and Yaveon, the three parties came together to define the technical and organizational parameters.

Unexpected situations can be critical in any project. When time constraints arose during the project, a way was jointly found to continue working in a goal-oriented manner: through close and collaborative project management with detailed notes and direct communication, this challenge was successfully overcome.

Midas relies on the Yaveon 365 EDI module:

• Full integration of the logistics partner in the standard without individual programming
• Data exchange in XML format
• Mappings in the EDI solution
• Customer- and supplier-side EDI communication
• Technical status tracking up to acknowledgment by the recipient
• Automated backorder resolution and delivery allocation
• Time savings and reduction of complexity
• Journal logic with editing option
• Monitoring tools
• Rapid setup thanks to ready-to-use configuration templates

Together, Midas, the logistics provider, and Yaveon implemented the EDI interface, including computer system validation with extensive test scenarios, right on schedule—the external warehouse is now connected automatically. When an order comes in at Midas, the logistics provider receives a notification. The order is processed, the package picked and shipped. In addition, Midas now has the option to connect further logistics providers as needed, and to deliver larger volumes and a broader product portfolio.

A successful project despite a tight timeframe

The tight timeframe was met, and Midas has received a system that employees enjoy using. Marc Link and his team are satisfied: with the Yaveon 365 EDI solution, with the consulting, and with an open ear at all times.