I’m sometimes asked how, as a technology transfer consultancy we can perform a technology transfer of a product from one site to another much faster than the manufacturing companies themselves – for instance can complete a transfer in 6 months whereas the manufacturing companies themselves can take over 18 months.
So I thought I would just take this opportunity to explain why – and why it is often cost effective to use a consultancy than use in-house resources.
- Dedicated to project. Consultancies use a dedicated team, their consultants concentrate on the specific project and are not distracted by other roles or requirements. Often as not manufacturing companies do not have dedicated standing technology transfer teams, so when they need to perform a transfer they pull team members from other departments. Inevitably some or all of the team members will end up with dual responsibilities (retaining some of their old responsibilities while taking on new tech transfer responsibilities). This reduces the effectiveness of the team and increases project timelines.
- Elimination of training time. Technology transfer teams require specific process, regulatory and importantly – project management knowledge. When using a consultancy there is no need to spend time training up the transfer team members, consultancies provide a plug-and-play solution, with ready-to-use teams.
- Expertise With experience of a wide range of processes This allows consultants to appreciate the many ways to pre-empt or solve problems before they are recognised as a problems thus saving time and cost. Consultancies usually have access to specialised areas of expertise not normally available to in-house teams again resulting in a cost and time saving.
- Using a consultancy gets you proven technology transfer competency so the consultancy can hit the ground running, resulting in a quicker start and a quicker finish.
- Recruitment Challenges: Finding and hiring skilled professionals who are a good fit for the company can be a time-consuming and difficult task. The recruitment process can delay projects and increase operational costs.
- Scalability Issues: In-house teams may struggle to scale up quickly in response to large or unexpected projects. Outsourcing, on the other hand, offers the flexibility to quickly access additional resources and expertise as needed.
- Outsourced teams can bring fresh perspectives and innovative approaches to the table, saving both cost and time.
- Consultants have been there, done it and know how to avoid the time wasting pitfalls.
However although the use of technology transfer consultants saves time (and time to market equated to cost), The use of external technology transfer consultancies does have negatives, namely:
- In-house teams can be quicker decision-making
- Keeps Intellectual Property within the organisation minimising potential risks to core business assets and competitive advantages.
- Confidentiality: In-house teams ensure that sensitive information and proprietary technology remain within the company, minimizing the risk of leaks and maintaining confidentiality.
- Loss of technical expertise when outsourced team members leave the project,
- Introducing a third part may impact communications.
- Control and Coordination: Having an in-house team allows for greater control over the technology transfer process.
- Long-Term Investment: Building an in-house team can be seen as a long-term investment. As team members gain experience and expertise in the company’s specific technologies and processes, their value to the organization increases over time.
Of course the decision to use a technology transfer consultancy should not be based solely on speed of the project and should be guided by a thorough assessment of the company’s specific needs, goals, and capabilities. However in the field of pharmaceuticals, healthcare and FMCG (Fast Moving Consumer Goods) speed to market is often a critical financial aspect, and on this basis alone the use of a technology transfer consultancy is often the optimum solution.
Outsourcing technology transfer work to a consultancy will certainly also cost less than committing to the annual salaries and benefit packages of a full-time in-house team, especially for short-term projects with pressing deadlines.