Sanofi

Industry

Pharma

Challenge

Complex and costly mix of document archiving service suppliers resulting in uncertain document retrieval processes

Solution

Consolidation of off-site document management and storage

Value

• Faster, more reliable service with 3,000 active users
• 20 document retrieval requests each day
• Archiving costs reduced by €200,000 per annum

 

Quality and compliance are paramount

Global healthcare company Sanofi is the principal pharmaceutical business in France and one of the industry leaders worldwide. Its portfolio includes a diversified range of human vaccines, patented medicines, and generics, as well as consumer healthcare and animal health products.

Sanofi has grown substantially over the years, mainly through merger and acquisition, and incorporates well-known laboratories such as Rhône Poulenc, Hoechst and Synthelabo.

The pharmaceutical industry manages a huge amount of information, much of which is paper-based, and Sanofi is no exception. As well as its corporate records, the company needs to safely retain a vast array of information on activities such as drug development programmes and clinical trials. This allows it to meet internal business needs, such as requirements for quality management, and comply with strict and comprehensive regulation.

Greater control, economies, and commonality

These substantial archives require careful management so that the company can meet its obligation to find critical documents whether relating to clinical matters, technical developments or financial, legal and regulatory needs.

As Sanofi had grown and evolved over the years its document archives had spread to 12 different storage companies. This list of suppliers was reduced to three well-known service providers. However, that was still not enough.

In setting out to fully integrate and consolidate its archives with one main service provider, Sanofi’s objectives were to improve control of and access to stored material, derive economies of scale, and lay the foundations to define common standards for the management of its records worldwide.

Precise project management

Iron Mountain® was already managing the archives of some Sanofi departments and was selected to centralise the archives.“Iron Mountain was chosen for the excellent quality of its previousservices, its capacity to manage complex projects, and for its global capability,” says Hervé Bousquet, of Group Archives, Sanofi.

The project involved the uplift of files from previous storage suppliers, cataloguing, consolidation, and transportation of around 60 linear kilometres of documents in around 100,000 fifty-litre boxes or containers. It was scheduled at a rate of six linear kilometres (10,000 boxes) per quarter and involved the transfer of files in 155 fully-loaded articulated vehicles.Additional van shipments catered for smaller lots.

“Iron Mountain was chosen for the excellent quality of its previous services, its capacity to manage complex projects, and for its global capability.”

Hervé Bousquet Group Archives SANOFI