In Product Supply we are striving for excellence in all of our functional areas, including sourcing, manufacturing and quality assurance. This allows us to live up to our primary responsibility of supplying all products sold by Novo Nordisk.

To make ourselves a winning team we must continue to optimize and make our production processes more stable to be environmentally sound and to be a fair and responsible partner.

Fast to market
To truly be the best we have set ourselves the goal of being Fast to market. This means that we will bring our existing products fast through the entire supply chain from suppliers to our customers – the patients.
It also means that we pull the new products forward from R&D to full scale manufacturing in order to supply our customers with the new products.

We are continuously challenging ourselves on how we do things not just the fastest way, but also the smartest way.

The result of our efforts was shown in the recent successful launch of Novo Nordisk’s potential new blockbuster, Victoza^® (liraglutide).

To continue this success requires that we have great people that can work together in winning teams, to create, develop and implement ideas around the world.

If you are able to rise to this continuous global challenge a career in Product Supply may be your perfect job match.

Our customers - patients suffering from diabetes and haemophilia rely on our products to save their lives. Making sure the right products are available at the right time in the right place is therefore a huge responsibility, and one we take very seriously.

In our job there is no putting off until tomorrow what needs to be done today. We must ensure stock of the basic components needed to produce our products. If one of our manufacturing lines breaks down we must fix it immediately. We need to continuously monitor our production so that quality levels are maintained. We must be in a constant dialogue with our sales affiliates to ensure that their stock of our products is optimal. We need to do all this and more, because the lives of our patients are depending on us.

To reach these objectives we are investing in new production facilities and the expansion of existing facilities - both in Europe and overseas. We continuously strive to lower the cost of goods sold. To this end we have introduced cLEAN® (our version of the LEAN philosophy) to make our production processes stable, efficient and to eliminate waste.

And we have succeeded in reaching our objectives. In 2009 all our quality inspections were passed. In 2009 we were able to report 99.98% delivery accuracy. From 2003-2009 our manning levels remained the same while our sales have almost doubled.

Award winning People Engagement
In 2010 our global Product Supply function received the Gallup Great Workplace Award. This award recognizes the best-performing workforces and the most engaged and productive companies in the world. The results of the participating companies are compared across a workplace research database composed of millions of work teams in more than 100 countries.

New product launch
On 17 February 2010 more than 45,000 pharmacies in the US received Novo Nordisk’s new treatment for diabetes, Victoza^® (liraglutide). This marks an important milestone on an incredible journey, where Product Supply employees played a central role. We beat all records and managed to deliver Victoza^® to the US Markets in just 15 days after approval from FDA.

Our mission going forward is to be the best supplier of pharmaceutical products and hence we must supply our customers:

• with high quality products in regulatory compliance,
• with a reliable delivery performance,
• and at a competitive cost.

It is crucial for us that we bring our products to the market as fast as possible, while maintaining the optimal balance between quality, delivery and cost.

We are committed to achieving these targets while at the same time becoming ever more global in mindset and in the way we do business.

If you are hungry for such a challenge then a job in Product Supply could be your perfect springboard to a life-changing career.

Within Product Supply tasks range from production (formulation, filling, assembly, inspection and packaging) to construction of new plants, installation, validation and optimisation of new equipment  as well as planning of production and securing of flow through our supply chain.

Roles and skills
Our employees are both skilled and semi-skilled and include operators, technicians, project managers, quality assurance professionals, chemists and managers, to name but a few.

Employees have a range of educational backgrounds and their competencies are used freely across the different sites in Product Supply. This means that, depending on the role, there are international opportunities for expatriation and collaboration.

Best in field
When you work in Product Supply you come to realise that your colleagues are among the best within their field. With so many different roles and therefore backgrounds, there is a great opportunity to build networks and learn from people from other areas of expertise.

The team spirit in Product Supply is second-to-none. We’re solving our tasks together - united and with mutual respect.

Product Supply has three defined development paths: leadership, specialist and project management. If you successfully meet your targets you will have new development opportunities and support for you to try out new areas within Product Supply. In fact, our managers are assessed on their ability to support the next step for you.

In Product Supply every employee has a voice and we are open to new ideas – this is how we drive innovation and build winning teams that are engaged in what we are doing.

Developing your talent
We have set ourselves ambitious targets. To succeed, we need to have great people that can work together in winning teams. We are fortunate to have an organisation with many strengths and talents across Product Supply. We need to make sure that we have the right talents and strengths where needed.

We have a strong focus on both personal and professional development. Competencies are developed through internal and external training and educational programmes. Product Supply is successful because the people who work here are successful – and continuously develop their skills.

In Denmark we have seven different sites across the country, including the largest insulin factory in the world.

Outside Denmark we have facilities in the US, Brazil, France, China and Japan.

Product supply is divided into five different functions:

1. Diabetes Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (API) comprises around 1.600 employees, mostly in Kalundborg, Denmark, and produces active pharmaceutical ingredients for diabetes treatment and glucagon. The production consists of a fermentation process followed by a recovery process and lastly a purification process. We have nine factories and among these the largest insulin factory in the world.
2. Diabetes Finished Products (DFP): comprises approximately 3,700 employees - around half are located in Denmark, 600 in France, 400 in the US, 800 in Brazil and 150 in China. DFP is responsible for the formulation of insulin for injection, filling insulin cartridges and vials, inspection, assembly and packaging of all insulin finished products.
3. Devices & Sourcing (D&S): comprises approximately 1,700 employees – 1,100 in Denmark and 600 in China and Japan. D&S is, among other things, responsible for manufacturing and sourcing of durable devices, components for prefilled devices and needles.
4. Biopharm: comprises approximately 1,200 employees and is responsible for the production of all non-insulin products including; NovoSeven^®, Growth hormone, GlucaGen^® and OAD-products.
5. Product Supply Management and Support: comprises approximately 280 employees who support Product Supply in functions such as finance, IT, cLEAN®, HR, Communications and the Environment.

Denmark
In Denmark we have seven different sites and around 6,500 fulltime employees spread across the country. Here we manufacture the active pharmaceutical ingredients (API), process the API into the correct formulations, fill, assemble, and finally package the products to be shipped. We also have a large part of the manufacturing of our drug delivery systems here.

France
Our site in Chartres, France is primarily a filling site where we process the API into the correct formulations, fill, assemble, and package the products. Chartres began operations in 1961 and is Novo Nordisk’s oldest production site outside Denmark. Since 1961 the site has been expanded four times - last in 2005, and currently 600 fulltime employees work here.

US
Our facility in Clayton, US was opened in 1993 focusing on both human and modern insulins. In 2007 the facility also began production, assembly and distribution of the FlexPen® prefilled insulin device. Currently more than 400 fulltime employees work here.

Brazil
In Montes Claros, Brazil, we began operations in 2003 after acquiring Biobras, a Brazilian insulin manufacturer. After construction of a new production plant, our site in Brazil today employs some 800 fulltime employees covering functions as of formulation, filling, assembly and packaging. Our production site produces NovoNorm® 

China
Beginning operations in 1996, our site in Tianjin, China was initially Novo Nordisk’s device and packaging production facility in the Asia-Pacific region. In the future a new filling production site, currently under construction, will strengthen our base in the region. The site will supply China and a number of export markets with insulin products and devices such as NovoPen® 3. Currently some 700 fulltime employees work here.

Japan
In Koriyama, Japan, we inspect and package all our products to be distributed into the Japanese market. The semi-finished products are imported from our sites in France and Denmark. Koriyama began operations in 1997. Currently 60 fulltime employees work here.