Eileen T. Barroga, Project Manager at Unilab shared how Unilab — the Philippines’ largest manufacturer of health products — turned its digital transformation vision into reality through the implementation of an electronic Quality Management System (eQMS) at Factorytalk Forum 2025.
In every digital transformation story, there’s a turning point — when challenges stop being obstacles and start becoming catalysts for change.
For Unilab, that moment came when the team decided to modernize its Quality Management System (QMS) through a strategic eQMS initiative.
From Foundation to Framework
Quality starts with one simple truth — great documentation builds great systems.
For Unilab, quality isn’t just about compliance — it’s embedded in every step of the product lifecycle. From upholding FDA standards and ensuring business continuity to nurturing a culture of quality, QMS is the backbone of how Unilab operates.
Evolving from this strong foundation, Unilab’s move to an electronic Quality Management System (eQMS) brought every quality function together — document control, quality event management, automated workflows, and real-time analytics — into one seamless, connected ecosystem.
The Real Pain Points
Before the transformation, Unilab faced challenges that many life sciences manufacturers will find familiar:
- The cost of disconnected quality — isolated systems led to blind spots, delayed reviews, and higher risks of human error.
- The burden of paper — physical documents created inefficiencies and hidden costs in time, space, and compliance.
- Regulatory gaps — outdated technology made audit readiness difficult, with missing audit trails and delayed document updates.
- When technology can’t keep up — in-house systems, though functional, can’t scale or integrate across departments.
Instead of struggling with these issues, Unilab pivoted them into a roadmap for improvement
— not asking “What’s wrong?”, but “What can we transform?”
When ROI is not all about money
To justify an investment, the results needs to be tangible.
By digitizing workflows and connecting quality data, Unilab achieved:
- Better visibility and data integrity
- Improved supplier collaboration and faster issue detection
- AI-powered trend analysis enabling proactive quality actions
- Stronger compliance management and reporting for audit readiness and regulatory confidence
- Cost avoidance from reduced printing and redundant administration tasks
But what matters the most comes straight from within the team:
“The greatest saving of eQMS is time.”
Time saved from not having to manually manage documents and quality-related tasks.
Time saved from having real-time visibility to make decisions faster.
Time that allows quality and compliance teams to focus on what truly matters.
Making the Right Decisions
Every major digital initiative comes down to one question — how do you decide where to begin?
Unilab’s approach was clear and focused:
- Start with the most impactful area, in this case the Document Management module.
- Use AI and real-time analytics to turn compliance risks into proactive insights.
- Keep humans in the loop — ensuring AI serves as a tool, not a replacement, for expert oversight.
Lessons Learned
Unilab’s eQMS journey wasn’t just about technology — it was about mindset.
The team highlighted several key lessons that shaped their success:
- Align stakeholders early to build shared vision and momentum
- Prioritize progress over perfection — keep moving forward while refining along the way
- Targeted Problem-Solving
- Anticipate technical challenges and plan proactively to overcome them
Beyond Financial ROI
Unilab went beyond numbers and metrics:
“eQMS is a strategic investment that mitigates regulatory risk and ensures our digital readiness for the future.”
For them, this isn’t just an IT project.
It’s a long-term commitment to continuous improvement, collaboration, and innovation — building a culture where quality is no longer a department, but a shared responsibility across the organization.
And perhaps most importantly — it’s an opportunity for lasting impact, paving the way for the next generation of Unilab’s digital future.
