, Munich: In collaboration with TPG The Project Group, the Swiss pharmaceutical and life sciences group Lonza AG has completed the implementation of a new multi-project management solution. The system, part of an enterprise-wide process optimization project, enables the company to respond to customers’ questions concerning future R&D capacity and services at the touch of a button. TPG The Project Group, the international full service provider for enterprise-wide project management, based the new solution on Microsoft Project Server, SharePoint and its own products. These include TPG ProjectLink, which facilitates multi-project management with graphical charts depicting links across projects, and PSLink for the integration of Microsoft Project Server with Lonza’s SAP system. Lonza is now able to provide customers with information about its R&D capacity much faster than previously. The solution has also improved visibility into project planning and costs across multiple locations while making reporting significantly easier. 

Prior to implementing the Microsoft project management system, Lonza was using SAP for financial planning and project monitoring. However, not all of Lonza’s project managers were familiar with SAP. A further issue arose when customers needed rapid information about whether and when Lonza would have the necessary resources to develop their projects. Using the old solution, answering these questions could take several days. 

Lonza now has an enterprise-wide multi-project management system based on Microsoft technologies. Using a consistent SharePoint interface, it is now significantly easier for staff in the company’s research and development departments around the world to file their reports and provide notification of costs incurred. In addition, all the necessary information about available resources and services can be made available to customers at the touch of a button. 

TPG The Project Group’s own products contribute to the success of this solution. TPG PSLink runs in the background to ensure financial data are kept synchronized between the project management system and the SAP environment, while TPG ProjectLink creates transparency in multi-project management processes. It links tasks from different project plans and displays them as a graphical chart. 

The new solution is currently based on Microsoft Project Server 2007. Working with TPG The Project Group, Lonza AG is now engaged in migrating it to Microsoft Project Server 2010, the latest version. The company expects up to 800 employees to be working with the system by the end of 2012. 

About Lonza
Lonza is one of the world's leading suppliers to the pharmaceutical, healthcare and life science industries. Products and services span its customers’ needs from research to final product manufacture. It is the global leader in the production and support of active pharmaceutical ingredients both chemically as well as biotechnologically. Biopharmaceuticals are one of the key growth drivers of the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries. Lonza has strong capabilities in large and small molecules, peptides, amino acids and niche bioproducts which play an important role in the development of novel medicines and healthcare products. Lonza is also the world leader in microbial control providing innovative, chemistry-based and related solutions to destroy or to selectively inhibit the growth of harmful microorganisms. Its activities encompass the areas of water treatment, personal care, health and hygiene, industrial preservation, materials protection, and wood treatment. In addition, Lonza is a leader in cell-based research, endotoxin detection and cell therapy manufacturing. Furthermore, the company is a leading provider of value chemical and biotech ingredients to the nutrition and agro markets.

Lonza is headquartered in Basel, Switzerland and is listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange and secondary listed on the Singapore Exchange Securities Trading Limited (“SGX-ST”). Lonza is not subject to the SGX-ST’s continuing listing requirements. Lonza is subject to the listing rulesof the SIX Swiss Exchange, which do not have specific requirements equivalent to the listing rules of the SGX-ST in respect of interested person transactions, acquisition and realizations, and delisting. In 2011, the company had sales of CHF 2.69 billion. Further information can be found at www.lonza.com.