by Jean Bedard, CEO, Circulo Pharma
One of our clients, a major pharmaceutical company in Canada, faced rising costs and inefficiencies from relying on a traditional bulk-print model. Collateral was produced based on projected field usage, but forecasts often overestimated actual demand. As campaigns shifted or messaging evolved, large volumes of expired and non-compliant printed materials were still in storage and ultimately destroyed. The challenge was compounded by a lack of real-time visibility. Marketing and sales teams couldn’t track what was being shipped, used, or wasted. This led to inconsistent usage and habitual overordering “just in case.”
The Audit: Measuring Impact Across Five Product Lines
To assess the financial and operational impact of its print strategy, the company partnered with Circulo Pharma to audit print and fulfillment operations across five major product lines over a 12-month period. The goal was to evaluate potential savings and efficiency gains through a Print on Demand (PoD) model.
The audit included a range of pharmaceutical collateral—chronic weight management therapies, biologics for psoriasis, acne treatments, and corporate marketing materials—spanning both specialty and primary care products.
What a 12-Month Cycle Analysis Revealed
In total, 382,636 printed pieces were stocked, but only 119,745 were shipped and used. That means 24% of printed materials were utilized, while 76% (382,636) were overproduced, stored, and ultimately destroyed. This represents a $267,351 source of avoidable cost, including:
- Printing, Warehousing & Destruction Waste: $116,151
- Locker Cost: $151,200
In addition, eliminating overproduction of 382,6636 printed materials, the company could avoid emitting approximately 38.3 metric tons of CO₂.
Implementing Circulo Platform with PoD
Circulo implemented its HCP engagement platform along with a full Print-on-Demand (PoD) model and commercial printed options.
Key improvements included:
- Minimized bulk printing: Materials are produced only when ordered by the field.
- When commercial printing is needed, with integrated fulfillment: Orders are routed in real-time for fast delivery.
- Automated destruction tracking: Outdated materials can be flagged and recalled proactively.
- Full transparency: Circulo’s platform generates detailed usage and waste reports by product, sales team, or campaign.
- Reduce annual warehousing and destruction fees for unused materials
Stop Printing for the Shelf. Start Printing for the Field.
Stop wasting budget on materials that never get used. Let’s talk about how Circulo’s Print-on-Demand solution can help you streamline distribution, reduce costs, and drive real impact.
