Customer success · Pharmaceutical Manufacturing
NexTek Global case studyHelix Pharma
How Helix Pharma cut procurement cycle time and introduced AI-assisted sourcing with ePurchase.
Helix Pharma replaced spreadsheet-based purchasing and email-driven supplier comparison with a transparent digital procurement process, structured approvals, online RFQs, AI-assisted vendor evaluation and complete audit visibility.
Procurement transformationHelix Pharma
ePurchaseProcurement visibilityFrom fragmented activity to a connected workflow
BeforeAfterAudit evidenceDigitally available
LiveCompany overview
Procurement reliability as part of pharmaceutical operational excellence
Helix Pharma operates under the Hakimsons Group and serves the pharmaceutical market with a portfolio of more than 250 products. In a regulated manufacturing environment, timely availability of materials, reliable supplier decisions and complete documentation directly support production continuity and quality management.
As the organization grew, manual purchase requisitions, email-based quotations and spreadsheet comparison created delays and limited management visibility. Routine purchasing required repeated coordination between departments, procurement staff, suppliers and approvers.
Helix Pharma selected NexTek ePurchase to digitize the complete procurement lifecycle. The project combined workflow automation with AI-assisted procurement intelligence so teams could evaluate suppliers using measurable information rather than fragmented records or subjective judgment.
The challenge
A procurement function under pressure from speed, quality and compliance demands
Manual coordination made it difficult for Helix Pharma to shorten purchasing cycles while maintaining consistent supplier evaluation and audit-ready documentation.
Manual purchase requisitions
Requests created through paper and email were vulnerable to incomplete information, slow hand-offs and repeated clarification.
Lengthy approval cycles
Multiple stakeholders and manual follow-up created delays even for routine procurement decisions.
Limited lifecycle visibility
Teams did not have one live view of requisitions, open RFQs, supplier responses, approvals and purchase orders.
Spreadsheet quotation comparison
Commercial offers received through email had to be normalized and compared manually, increasing effort and error risk.
Slow RFQ execution
Preparing inquiries, distributing them to suppliers and collecting responses consumed too much procurement time.
Subjective vendor selection
Supplier decisions lacked a consistent framework combining historical pricing, delivery, quality and compliance information.
Compliance documentation burden
Paper-based records made it harder to retrieve a complete, dependable history for review and audit.
The solution
End-to-end procurement automation supported by AI-assisted analysis
ePurchase connected purchasing stages that were previously handled in separate documents and communication channels, giving Helix Pharma a single operational view.
01
Digital purchase requisitions
Teams could create structured requests, route them automatically and follow status without relying on manual hand-offs.
- Standard request data
- Automatic routing
- Real-time requisition status
02
Centralized RFQ management
Buyers could generate RFQs, invite multiple suppliers and collect responses through one controlled sourcing workspace.
- One-click RFQ creation
- Parallel supplier distribution
- Centralized quotation submission
03
Automated rate comparison
Supplier quotations could be compared side by side to improve transparency and reduce spreadsheet work.
- Commercial comparison
- Faster evaluation
- Clear decision evidence
04
Configurable approvals
Rule-based approval routing helped reduce bottlenecks while preserving accountability for purchasing decisions.
- Approval hierarchies
- Notifications and escalation
- Digital approval history
05
Purchase-order generation
Approved sourcing decisions could move directly into purchase-order creation with less repeated data entry.
- Faster PO creation
- Consistent supplier communication
- Linked sourcing history
06
AI procurement intelligence
The platform added analytical support for vendor recommendations, quotation review, savings opportunities and pricing anomalies.
- Vendor recommendations
- Quotation analysis
- Savings and anomaly insights
See how ePurchase supports complex procurement operations.Compare plans, capabilities, integrations and implementation options.
Explore ePurchase Transformation focus
Five measurable dimensions for more objective supplier selection
AI-assisted evaluation helped procurement teams consider supplier performance across consistent dimensions rather than relying only on the lowest submitted price.
Historical pricing
Previous commercial information gave buyers context for identifying unusual pricing and evaluating value.
Delivery performance
Supplier delivery history supported more realistic sourcing decisions for time-sensitive materials.
Quality records
Quality performance could be considered alongside price and delivery expectations.
Response time
The speed and reliability of supplier participation became part of the evaluation context.
Compliance history
Recorded compliance information helped teams make more defensible decisions in a regulated environment.
Operational impact
A faster procurement cycle with stronger visibility and control
Helix Pharma’s published case study reports a 50% reduction in procurement cycle time alongside improved sourcing transparency, digital records and more objective vendor evaluation.
Procurement dimensionBefore ePurchaseAfter ePurchase
Purchase requisition approvalManual routing and follow-upAutomated workflow and visible status
Quotation collectionEmail-based supplier responsesCentralized online supplier participation
Rate comparisonManual spreadsheet preparationAutomated, AI-assisted quotation analysis
Procurement trackingLimited status visibilityReal-time PR, RFQ, comparison and PO monitoring
Vendor selectionSubjective and fragmented evaluationData-supported supplier recommendations
Compliance evidencePaper-based and distributed recordsComplete digital procurement audit trail
Business benefits
What the digital procurement model changed for Helix Pharma.
Faster procurement
Automation reduced manual processing, accelerated RFQs and shortened approval coordination.
Greater transparency
Stakeholders gained real-time visibility across the procurement lifecycle and clearer ownership of pending actions.
Objective vendor evaluation
AI-assisted analysis combined commercial offers with supplier performance information for more consistent decisions.
Stronger compliance
Standardized processes and digital records created a dependable history for internal and regulatory review.
Better management decisions
Procurement analytics and spend visibility helped leadership identify bottlenecks, savings opportunities and sourcing patterns.
“Cutting our cycle time in half and giving us the compliance confidence a pharmaceutical company demands.
Conclusion
A more agile procurement function for a regulated manufacturer
Helix Pharma’s transformation demonstrates that procurement automation can improve speed without weakening governance. By digitizing requests, sourcing, evaluation, approvals and ordering, the organization created a clearer operational process and reduced dependency on manual coordination.
AI-assisted supplier analysis added another layer of value by helping teams evaluate more than price alone. The resulting procurement model was faster, more transparent and better aligned with the quality and compliance expectations of pharmaceutical manufacturing.
Frequently asked questions
Questions about the Helix Pharma procurement transformation.
How much did Helix Pharma reduce procurement cycle time?
NexTek’s published case study reports a 50% reduction in procurement cycle time after implementing ePurchase.
What stages did ePurchase automate?
The platform covered purchase requisitions, RFQs, quotation collection, rate comparison, approvals, purchase orders, reporting and digital audit records.
How was AI used in procurement?
AI-assisted capabilities supported vendor recommendations, quotation analysis, pricing-anomaly detection and identification of potential savings.
Which supplier factors were considered?
The case study highlights historical pricing, delivery performance, quality records, response time and compliance history.
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