FactoryTalk PharmaSuite Reviews

“centralized data but limited flexibility”

Pros

One of the biggest strengths here is the tightly controlled weight dispensing process. It captures everything happening on the shop floor and gives us a single database we can work with. On top of that it serves as a reliable platform for maintaining master data.

Cons

Interface is not very user friendly which makes daily use harder than it should be. The product also is not very composable so adapting it to changing business requirements can be difficult. The electronic batch record is not very useful for reporting and pulling analytical data out of the system is basically not possible without customization. It also expects a high level of IT proficiency from dairy operators so the learning curve is pretty steep. Recipe authoring and ongoing system maintenance require a dedicated team and scalability and stability are still concerns.

“Decent enough”

Pros

Recipe creation is handled visually with dynamic building blocks which works especially well for global rollouts. It also offers enough flexibility to add customizations and extensions without blocking future upgrades. On top of that the quality control side is solid and does a good job supporting increasing data integrity requirements.

Cons

The downside is that the overall architecture feels outdated and installation support tends to rely too much on the customer to keep things moving. There's also a disconnect between the product team and the delivery team unless the customer is actively overseeing the process.

“user friendly interface”

Pros

I really like the interface, the recipe feature works nicely and the integration capabilities are definitely a strong point.

Cons

One negative is the outdated architecture which doesn't take advantage of more modern cloud-based infrastructure and services especially when paired with local edge devices for message buffering and handling network latency. On top of that both the project costs and the yearly maintenance expenses are high for the PharmaSuite software as well as the local infrastructure. Another frustration is that the client machines still need an outdated Java version.

“Highly functional”

Pros

One thing that works really well in this is the electronic logbook workflow process. The workflows are highly functional and very easy to configure. On the recipe side the end user experience is well designed and it's simple for users to follow the recipe in the right order. The web-based user administration is also a strong point since the portal makes managing users quick and convenient.

Cons

Recipe validation could be simpler. The system structure is fairly complicated and that also makes software upgrades take a lot of time to complete.

“workflows are a strong point”

Pros

Workflow configurability is a real plus and the support organization has been solid whenever needed. Overall, the platform delivers on what it promises and handles the core job it's meant to do.

Cons

The reporting capabilities still feel limited, there's no SaaS option available and the licensing structure could definitely be easier to handle.

“strong standardization and Industry 4.0 fit”

Pros

The out of the box features and built in solutions from the vendor make installation much easier by cutting down validation effort and supporting standardization. The integration capabilities through their generic middleware are also a big plus since they let us work with different transaction formats and handle data transformation without too much trouble. On top of that the connection with an IoT platform really pushes the system further into the Industry 4.0 space.

Cons

Engineering services seem to depend on a fairly small pool of specialists which makes it difficult to scale quickly and keep a fast installation roadmap. It has also been tough to get a team properly trained by the vendor so we can develop our own building blocks or phases internally. Another limitation is that the standard package of phases is quite narrow so in many cases you end up needing to buy extra phase libraries that were developed through other projects.

“Adaptive MES client experience”

Pros

Its customizability is a big plus and the MES Client is also very user friendly for people working with it day to day.

Cons

It still takes a lot of investment in customization because the product doesn't cover enough out of the box. On top of that migration costs are high and both installation and migration can be difficult to handle.

“Fast setup with minimal coding”

Pros

Getting this product configured right out of the box is quite simple and it doesn't require much custom coding to get things running.

Cons

The auto upgrade feature could be better

“powerful recipe modeling”

Pros

The recipe creation and modeling options are very flexible and powerful which makes the system capable of handling a wide range of needs.

Cons

Pulling data out isn't very easy although it's still something you can work through and manage.

“quality boost with more agility”

Pros

PharmaSuite helps improve both quality and productivity at the same time. It also gives more flexibility when building new products and processes. The higher level of confidence adds a lot of agility to the batch release process.

Cons

Nothing.

“Helpful expert support”

Pros

Whenever questions come up or something needs clarification, you're able to get in touch with RA subject matter experts really quickly. Having that kind of access makes it much easier to discuss issues and understand different parts of the platform.

Cons

On the downside, the installation documentation for the different software components is not detailed enough which makes the whole setup process tedious and inefficient. There are also too many steps involved, along with too many components that have to be installed manually. A semi-automated installer would make a big difference by helping the software get installed correctly and more efficiently on the first attempt.

“great validation expertise”

Pros

Right from the start the service quality has been very solid. They clearly understand what is required for validation and qualification and deliveries are done correctly the first time which really sets them apart from other suppliers.

Cons

Upgrades still take a lot of time, effort and money even when the system has not been heavily customized. Reporting is also fairly limited and whenever we need a new report, we have to rely on a developer to create it.

“fast and useful updates”

Pros

Updating the system is pretty easy and once a change is made, all committed actions like reporting and quality traceability are handled automatically without needing extra checks or manual control.

Cons

It does take some time to become fully efficient with the product.

“Strong partner for our needs”

Pros

One of the biggest advantages is how well they work with us to support our business needs and partner in a way that feels aligned with our goals.

Cons

A weak spot is still reporting and analytics, both within the product and when trying to use third-party tools. FT Analytics is being positioned as the answer but since it's still new, it hasn't been fully proven yet.