ROBAR - Approvals

ROBAR replaces cumbersome, paper-based approval SOPs with integrated, web-based workflows.

There is no margin for error when labeling prescription drugs and medical devices since they can have a profound impact on consumer health and safety. Consequently, manufacturers follow extensive procedures to ensure that all labels and data are thoroughly reviewed and approved before they can ever be applied to finished goods. The problem is that many companies rely on manual procedures in which hard copies are literally walked from department-to-department for necessary approvals. While it is possible to manage approvals in this manner, there are several major drawbacks:

Drawbacks of paper-based approval SOPs:

		"Designed for Windows" certification from Microsoft Corporation.
		Native Unicode support, which enables seamless printing of any international language, including double-byte characters like Japanese Kanji and Chinese.
		Microsoft-certified Printer Drivers for over 1,500 bar code and RFID label printers from leading manufacturers like Zebra, Intermec, Datamax, SATO, TEC, Printronix and more.
		WYSIWYG Design Interface available in 20 international languages.
		Multiple "Wizards" for step-by-step instructions on configuring page setup options, advanced bar codes and RFID Smart Tags.
		Support for the greatest number of linear and 2D bar code symbologies.
		Widest variety of advanced serialization options.
		Drag-&-drop creation of all basic label objects like text, lines, boxes, graphics and bar codes.
		"Toolbox" with pre-configured label objects - such as complex bar code and RFID data structures - available for simple drag-&-drop creation on any template.
		Intuitive Auto-Sizing and object alignment options.
		Ability to group and save any number of label objects as a "component," which is then available as a drag-&-drop item from the Toolbox on subsequent templates.
		SAP-certified data interface.
		Visual Basic Scripting for custom data processing.

As a result of these drawbacks, many companies already address label approvals with existing Document Management or PLM systems that have electronic workflow capabilities. For those companies, ROBAR's XML interface and ability to export label images as PDF documents provides a simple yet robust means of integration. However, for companies that do not have these systems in place, or prefer to address label-related functions in a dedicated system, ROBAR's available Workflow Module offers a number of significant benefits:

Benefits of ROBAR's Web-based Workflow Module:

		Instead of a rigidly linear paper-based process, users have the flexibility to configure an electronic workflow with virtually any number of participants, in any order and with any number of rules to match internal SOPs.
		Hardcopy "approval sheets" are replaced with automatic e-mail notifications linked to a central web portal in which authorized approvers can review their activity queue, see real-time status of label templates in-process and make comments for subsequent approvers in the workflow.
		Approvers can perform their activities from anywhere in the world via the web, which dramatically reduces lead times since approvers are no longer tethered to paper-based procedures that require a physical signature.
		Complex rules - such as what to do in the event of a rejection - are configured and managed within the system, versus human intervention. This not only provides greater flexibility, but it also reduces staff hours and approval turn around times.