ASTRA

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Astra Pharmaceuticals
Brief about the company

Headquartered in Sandton, South Africa, Astra Pharmaceuticals is one of the world’s

leading manufacturers of over-the-counter drugs. With over 50 varieties of tablets, ranging
from analgesic and anti-allergic to anti-biotic, they are listed in Forbes ‘World’s 20 Most
Innovative Companies’. The USP (Unique Selling Proposition) of Astra is that their R&D
team works to create drugs which exclusively cater to the developing economies.

Astra now desires to venture in to the Asian markets and has decided to start the Asia
operations with India. They have decided to partner with an Indian company to make the
tablets in India for ease of penetration and operation. Multiple small and medium scale
pharmaceutical companies in India have shown interest in partnering with Astra. You are
also one of the players competing in that space. For all the potential partners, the
opportunity is huge in the prospect of partnering with Astra.

Since multiple players have expressed interest, Astra has decided to give an opportunity to
each of these players to prove themselves. The company has shared the method and
process to make 1 of its medicines, which has 2 types/variants (Type-A, Type-B), to the
Indian (potential) partners. Raw materials for production of these pills have been provided
to suppliers which could be given to the potential partners. Each potential partner has
chosen 5/6 of its best Managers to lead production on this bid. Each manager is aware that
this is a competition wherein non-conformance to the client expectations can lead to the
organization losing out on the opportunity.

You as a part of the team have the prime responsibility of enhancing business results of
your company and driving the growth of the company. All the team members would be
working on this assignment to ensure high level of execution.
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Client Needs:
Astra is particular that its partner should most certainly follow some of its own core values.
Some of the values are mentioned as follows:
 Has zero defects
 Speed in delivery
 Customer first
 Trust in team members
 Respect of others’ views

Deliverables & Objectives of the Team Exercise:

The partners are to carry out the entire production process for one of the medicines (Type-
A/ Type-B) in compliance with the quality standards, as provided, for the assessment of
Astra. Each type of product has a different market price.

The objectives of the team at work are

To produce the maximum possible samples of the medicine
 The team (organization) which is able to generate the highest monetary value of the
production batch gets the contract with Astra
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Important Considerations:
Raw material is provided. Each item has a cost attached. Each team needs to keep in mind
the same while planning production numbers and accordingly ask for desired number of
items.

Product Type Price Per Bar (INR)

Type-A 20
Type-B 25

Cost of Raw Material (Good once selected cannot be returned or exchanged):

 One Rubber Ball : INR 10

 One Marble : INR 15
 Medicine Box : INR 2

Execution Details:
The exercise would consist of the following tasks:
o Task I: Planning (20 min)
o Task II: Customer Visit (5 min)
o Task III: Group Discussion (10 min)
o Task IV: Production (10 min)
o Task V: Group reflection (15 min)

Task I: Planning

Recommended Duration: 20 minutes

 Each participant team is given instructions on the production phases

 The participants would have to understand and practice the production process &
plan out the Production Phase. They also need to answer a few questions in relation
to the Planning Phase.
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Practice Phase:
 Each team is given I medicine box, 2 pipes, 1 marble and 1 ball to practice

Discuss within your team and collectively arrive at a consensus on the following:
 The number of items to be produced by the team
 How many units of each type to be produced
 Considering the different market prices of the two products and the production
process involved for each of them, what revenue target does your team take? (Each
team has to have a mix of both products)
 The raw materials you would require to create these items (pick these from the list
provided.)
 The following resources are available for you to complete the task.
o Medicine Boxes (chargeable), Rubber balls (chargeable), Marbles
(chargeable), Spoons, Bowls, Sketch Pens, PVC pipes.
 You will need to select the raw material from the available packet. Whatever raw
materials you think you will need; has to be accumulated in this phase. Once the
actual production starts, you would not be allowed to take any more raw materials.
 Actual production will not take place during this phase.

Task II: Customer Visit

Recommended Duration: 5 minutes

In this phase, each team will experience a customer visit wherein they need to -
 Share the targets/ plans that they have devised for their respective teams
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Task III: Group Discussion

Recommended Duration: 10 minutes

In this discussion, each team can:

 Brainstorm on the best possible strategy that focuses on customer satisfaction, cost
optimization & revenue maximization
 Ideate and figure out specific roles for team members required for smooth execution
of task
 Identify and develop mechanisms to involve all the members in the activity

Task IV: Production

Recommended Duration: 10 minutes

The production phase is divided into two parts; each part is allocated 5 minutes, adding
to a total of 10 minutes of total production time.

Production Phase 1:
The following general instructions are to be followed during this phase:
 The marble/ball should be directed from Area 1 to Area 2 only via the pipes and
through the given path.
 No participant may transfer or trade his piece of pipe for another, and all
participants must handle the marble/ball at least once.
 No two pieces of pipe may touch at any point.
 With the exception of the initial pick-up at the starting position, nothing can touch
the marble/ball but the PVC pipe.
 Participants may move around when they don’t have possession of the marble/ball,
but they must remain stationary when they have it. The marble/ball must be in
constant forward motion at all times.
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Production Phase 2:
The following general instructions are to be followed during this phase:
 Each team needs to ensure a mix of both types of products
 Marble / Rubber Ball cannot be inserted by hand in the boxes, they need to be
produced in a sterile environment
 Each team needs to write the name of the product on the respective box

Enclosure 1: Details of Raw Materials selected in Phase I

S.
Material Unit Cost Quantity Total Cost
No.

1 Medicine Box @ Rs. 2 each

2 Rubber Balls @ Rs. 10 each

3 Marbles @Rs. 15 each

Grand Total (A)

TOTAL EXPENDITURE: INR ______________________________________