Italian company leading the pharmaceutical industry
Digitally orchestrating the contract lifecycle

A modern multinational with a strong presence of the founding family, operating in the chemical and pharmaceutical sectors across Europe, the United States, and Asia. It has manufacturing facilities in Italy, Switzerland, France, China, and Brazil, along with 23 subsidiaries in various countries, including South America, Europe, and Asia. In recent years, the company has been shifting its core business toward the development of treatments for rare respiratory diseases.

The Challenge


90% of the contracts managed belong to the pharmaceutical sector. As with any regulated industry, this significantly increases the complexity of management, given the large number of stakeholders involved. Every year, 1,500 contracts are handled worldwide, processed by various company departments. Initially, contracts were primarily managed via email or in paper form, leading to a high margin of error.

The search for an integrated digital solution that could combine document management with reporting capabilities and complex process management led the company to adopt a Contract Management solution based on the Yubiq platform. Yubiq seamlessly integrates workflow management, data handling, document composition, and collaboration among multiple users while also connecting with electronic signature devices.

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The Approach


The first phase of implementation, completed in 2018 for the global scope and in 2019 for affiliates, involved reorganizing documents and forms, as well as defining validation workflows. This process enabled the management of various contracts by establishing approval flows tailored to each contract type and handling exceptions. Additionally, tracking had to comply with FDA regulations for the pharmaceutical sector. Mapping specific clauses for certain functions allowed for contract standardization by incorporating the most critical elements. The system also enabled the definition of approval flows based on contract type or the roles involved, ensuring that all approvals were properly tracked.

In 2022, integrated electronic signatures were introduced through Yubiq.

Currently, an integration project with the ERP system is underway, which will connect the contract workflow from purchase requests (RDA) to purchase orders. This will enhance the efficiency of the procure-to-pay cycle, strengthen contract-related policies and governance, and improve the management of financial aspects, budgeting, and purchase orders.

The Impact


The chosen solution has fully met the company’s needs, simplifying case status tracking, identifying approvers, generating reports, and creating customized views for users.

The system manages approximately 1,500 contracts per year, compiling 3,600 dossiers, all easily searchable thanks to an advanced search function.

The journey toward a more efficient and secure contract management process highlights how technological innovation can transform business operations. Through a structured and integrated approach and the adoption of advanced technological solutions, contract management has significantly improved, reducing risks and increasing operational efficiency.

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