EMMA International Talks Lessons Learned

E.M.M.A. International

LESSONS LEARNED AFTER A DECADE OF SUPPORTING BIO- INDUSTRY GROWTH WORLDWIDE

BY KIRA JABRI, EMMA INTERNATIONAL AND ALISHA BROWN, DIRECTOR OF MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS, MICHBIO

“One of my favorite things about the work I get to do is that first jump into a new project—the initial assessment of the quality manufacturing systems, the process of meeting and getting to know the often brilliant people at our client companies, the digging in to the details,” says Dr. Carmine Jabri, President and CEO of EMMA. International Consulting Group. “That’s where I’m most at home, in the weeds of the processes.”

In fact, in the details is where EMMA International has made a name for itself. The company, recently highlighted as one of Insights Success’ “50 Best Companies to Watch in 2018,” is a global leader in management consulting providing quality, regulatory, and compliance services to the Biotechnology, Pharmaceutical, and Medical Device Industries.

EMMA International’s mission is to provide significant value to its clients’ operations by working within their corporate culture and alongside their employees to do the “heavy lifting” required to make improvements meaningful and permanent.

“We’ve always sought to be the ‘one-stop-shop’ for our clients—we want to help them understand the regulatory process, help them set up certified, manufacturing systems, and ensure they can produce the highest quality products that do the most possible good,” continued Jabri. “The all-encompassing approach to consulting has given us insight into the global bio-industry that is hard to come by elsewhere—we’ve learned some key lessons along the way.”

EMMA International uses that insight to provide a framework for their consulting services. Among those “lessons learned” are the following:

1. If it isn’t sustainable, it won’t be permanent. One of the biggest challenges many companies face is trying to design systems and processes that can scale up as they grow-a slightly cumbersome process can work well for one product and a small team, but it will breakdown when a large team tries to use it for multiple products. The best processes are often the simplest.

2. Your most important critic is your customer. Many companies underutilize customer complaints. Customers can be a major source of critical information about design failures and production issues that may start small but can end up causing widespread product dissatisfaction. Listen to your current customers and you’ll inevitably win new ones.

3. You can’t make a superior product with inferior ingredients. Many companies are either unable to assess the quality of their suppliers, or unwilling to pay more for, what they perceive to be, the same quality of raw materials. This leads to unnecessary, and difficult to explain, product failure. The best products are made from the best materials.

4. Expect challenge and learn from it. Often the most valuable lessons come in the most difficult to accept packages. Challenges to your way of thinking, to your design, and to your processes are sources of information—invite challenge and use it to steer your company in the right direction. ■

EMMA International can be a valuable partner to companies of all sizes and at all stages. With headquarters in Farmington Hills, Michigan and offices around the globe, the company has expertise in international regulatory processes, is in touch with industry markets around the world, and has resources available to help solve even the most complex problems.

EMMAINTERNATIONAL.COM

BIOMATTERS | FALL 201817