Quality Assurance Specialist, Adaptive Health

Erica Bennerman

Erica Bennerman is a seasoned Quality Assurance Specialist at Adaptive Health, where she specializes in enhancing quality control processes and ensuring compliance. Her focus on streamlining documentation and team collaboration has been pivotal in maintaining high standards in the dietary supplements industry, combining attention to detail with a keen understanding of industry regulations.

About Adaptive Health
Adaptive Health, a key player in the dietary supplements market, is dedicated to producing high-quality, innovative products. Emphasizing safety and regulatory compliance, they utilize advanced tools like Unifize for efficient quality management. Their commitment to rigorous quality control and innovation sets them apart in the health and wellness industry.
Industry
Nutritional Supplements
Location
Charlotte, North Carolina, United States of America
How this Quality Assurance Specialist grew with a collaborative eQMS like Unifize and streamlined their quality operations
In this video, Erica Bennerman, a Quality Assurance Specialist at Adaptive Health, shares how Unifize has significantly streamlined their quality assurance processes. She notes that tasks like ingredient verification, once taking an hour, are now accomplished in half the time with Unifize's checklist system. This efficiency extends to managing documents, with a drag-and-drop feature that simplifies tracking and revising. Unifize has improved collaboration within her team, particularly in ensuring standards for product presentation, artwork, and ingredients. Erica emphasizes the platform's role in enhancing productivity and teamwork, making quality assurance tasks more manageable and efficient.
How this Quality Assurance Specialist grew with a collaborative eQMS like Unifize and streamlined their quality operations

Overview

Erica Bennerman, a Quality Assurance Specialist at Adaptive Health, discusses the transformative impact of Unifize on their quality assurance processes. She highlights how Unifize has streamlined operations, particularly in maintaining high standards for dietary supplements, emphasizing its vital role in managing documentation and compliance efficiently.

Challenge

Erica, in her role focused on quality assurance, encountered challenges in efficiently managing documentation and change control. The pre-existing systems at Adaptive Health led to difficulties in tracking revisions and maintaining clear communication, which was crucial in the dynamic environment of the dietary supplements industry.

Solution

Under Erica's influence, Adaptive Health implemented Unifize after evaluating various quality management systems. Unifize's customizable nature, with its ability to support extensive compliance needs like electronic signatures and robust document management, aligned perfectly with the industry's stringent standards.

Ease of Use

Erica found Unifize exceptionally user-friendly, allowing her team to customize it to meet their specific requirements. This flexibility proved essential in organizing and managing vital documentation and quality assurance processes effectively.

Communication and Collaboration

Unifize revolutionized internal communication at Adaptive Health. It centralized and streamlined discussions, feedback, and approvals, significantly reducing the dependency on inefficient methods like emails and informal chats.

Documentation and Compliance

Unifize was instrumental in maintaining clear, audit-ready documentation with comprehensive audit trails. This feature was crucial during compliance audits, showcasing the detailed reasoning behind each decision and action.

Results

With the adoption of Unifize, Adaptive Health experienced a significant improvement in handling change requests and managing compliance processes. The reduction in time and effort required was noticeable, and the system gained quick acceptance from the team for its ability to uphold compliance efficiently.

Professional Preparedness

The detailed record-keeping and historical data provided by Unifize prepared Erica and her colleagues to confidently and quickly respond to auditors' queries, eliminating the previous struggles in information retrieval.

Regulatory Alignment

Unifize not only streamlined compliance with FDA standards but also aligned with other relevant regulations in the dietary supplements industry, underscoring its wide applicability.

Conclusion

Unifize has become an indispensable tool at Adaptive Health, greatly enhancing compliance, simplifying documentation processes, and ensuring team alignment. Its adaptability and ease of use have established it as a key component in Adaptive Health's commitment to quality and regulatory compliance, demonstrating that efficiency and compliance can successfully coexist in the rapidly evolving dietary supplements sector.

‍

Transcript

[00:00 - 00:13]
Just say for one ingredient, maybe an hour. With Unifize, I would definitely cut that into half, maybe less than half of the time because Unifize can be tailored to make sure it's kind of like a checklist.

[00:13 - 00:32]
And that's something in quality that we utilize is just making sure we check off this, you know, you're checking for that. It is just everything is formatted very easy where you can actually see and keep track of what you need as opposed to without it. Then you may have to kind of go through a process of, okay, I have it in this folder, I have it in this folder.

[00:32 - 00:43]
It and just dragging and dropping the documents into the system is just wonderful.

[00:43 - 00:55]
My name is Erica Bannerman. I'm a quality assurance specialist with Adaptive Health, and we're responsible for making sure that the product that goes to the customer meets their needs.

[00:55 - 01:25]
Well, with Adaptive Health, we actually produce and manufacture nutritional supplements and with that in the quality assurance department, we actually make sure that we're reviewing the products, making sure that everything is correct in terms of presentation, artwork, the actual product itself, in terms of the ingredients and reviewing, making sure it meets specific standards.

[01:25 - 01:54]
On a day-to-day basis, there's certain products that are produced by our contract manufacturers and we actually go through a process of reviewing that. There are certain quality standards that we need to actually make sure are met in terms of the actual presentation of the product, the product itself, making sure there's the correct product count, making sure that the actual artwork that we have approved is utilized for that particular product.

[01:54 - 02:12]
I was very new to Unifize coming into the department. So I kind of have grown with this, so to speak and, you know, I found that it's wonderful because the way a lot of our documents were being so to speak, it was hard to somewhat manage it.

[02:12 - 02:22]
So now we have one system where we can just manage everything at the click of your mouse.

[02:22 - 02:24]
With Unifize, just making sure everything is documented that that's one of the main things.

[02:26 - 02:47]
Everything is just that is documented in Unifize. And even if I need to go back and say, okay, well, why was this revised or, you know, this particular artwork, what happened here? What why are we on revision four as opposed to revision three? I can actually, in Unifize it's documented. You can see what the changes are along the way as well.

[02:47 - 02:49]
So that's very helpful as well.

[02:50 - 03:03]
I love that. I love the idea of collaboration and utilizing like maybe one system for everyone to kind of collaborate and not kind of step on each other's toes.
01:13
Reviewing documentation in half the time with Unifize
In this informative segment, Erica enthusiastically discusses how Unifize revolutionizes supplier audits and ingredient management. She delves into the platform's intuitive interface, allowing for easy document uploads and efficient tracking. Erica emphasizes the significant time-saving benefits, noting how Unifize cuts down task durations dramatically with its customized checklist feature. She illustrates the stark contrast between the traditional, time-consuming methods and Unifize's streamlined approach, concluding with praise for the platform's drag-and-drop functionality. This segment effectively highlights Unifize's transformative impact on simplifying and accelerating quality control processes.
Watch Video
01:04
How the Unifize team helped build our customisations faster
In this engaging video, Erica offers a fresh perspective on Unifize's standout customer support. She praises the promptness of the team, often responding within an hour, sometimes even in 10 minutes, ensuring immediate assistance. Erica shares her initial experiences as a new user of Unifize, emphasizing the value of regular team meetings in her learning process. She is particularly impressed by the platform's ability to tailor features to specific needs, such as creating custom PDFs, and the team's proactive approach to fulfilling complex requests. Erica's account highlights Unifize's dedication to responsive and personalized support, making the user experience both seamless and adaptable.
Watch Video
04:23
Moving from MasterControl to Unifize
In this insightful video, Erica reflects on her transition from using MasterControl to adopting Unifize for quality management. She shares her journey of growth and adaptation with Unifize, highlighting its superior efficiency in document handling and management. Erica notes the stark contrast between the two systems, pointing out how Unifize simplifies document uploads and centralizes management with just a click. She also touches on the benefits of Unifize's collaborative capabilities, allowing seamless integration with external partners like contract manufacturers. Erica's narrative emphasizes Unifize's user-friendly interface and its effectiveness in streamlining quality control processes, which were previously cumbersome with traditional methods like email or Dropbox.
Watch Video
01:49
Why Slack is not the best system for managing quality
In this detailed video, Erica delves into the unique messaging and document management features of Unifize. She explains how Unifize facilitates specific conversation threads, such as for finished goods, artwork, or ingredients, allowing immediate access to relevant documents within these discussions. Erica contrasts this with Slack, where uploading and sharing documents is more cumbersome and lacks the context provided by Unifize's integrated system. She emphasizes how Unifize's layout enables users to quickly view dialogues and understand ongoing issues without extensive explanations. Additionally, Erica highlights Unifize's ability to hold users accountable and convey urgency in tasks, a feature she finds lacking in Slack. This video effectively showcases how Unifize streamlines communication and document management, enhancing productivity and clarity in workplace collaborations.
Watch Video
02:22
About Erica and her role at Adaptive Health
In this comprehensive video, Erica Bennerman introduces herself as a Quality Assurance Specialist at Adaptive Health. She outlines her crucial role in ensuring that products meet customer expectations and adhere to stringent quality standards. Erica explains that Adaptive Health specializes in producing nutritional supplements, where her department focuses on scrutinizing product presentation, artwork, and ingredient compliance. She emphasizes the importance of meeting FDA and General Manufacturing Practices (GMP) standards and maintaining essential documentation for potential audits. Erica shares her professional journey, starting as an Executive Assistant and transitioning into quality assurance, highlighting Adaptive Health's supportive environment for growth and exploration. This video effectively presents Erica's commitment to quality and the rigorous processes at Adaptive Health to ensure superior product standards.
Watch Video
00:43
How Erica uses Unifize on a daily basis at work
In this video, Erica details her daily use of Unifize in managing various quality assurance processes at her workplace. She explains how the platform aids in overseeing finished good releases, tracking sale keys, and maintaining standard operating procedures. Erica highlights the convenience of storing and accessing artwork on Unifize, emphasizing the platform's efficiency in managing document revisions. She notes that while managing revisions was challenging with other systems, Unifize simplifies this process, making it more manageable and less time-consuming. This video showcases Unifize's effectiveness in streamlining complex quality control tasks, underscoring its value in a professional setting.
Watch Video
01:56
Handling artwork revisions with Unifize
In this video, Erica describes the artwork management process within her organization and how Unifize plays a crucial role in it. She begins by explaining that the artwork process doesn't start in Unifize but is incorporated once the artwork is approved. Unifize then becomes the repository for the final versions, ensuring that everyone accesses the correct and latest artwork for each product. Erica elaborates on the pre-Unifize procedure, including revisions and approvals from print suppliers. She uses Unifize to verify the currentness of documents, flagging any discrepancies, especially with revisions received from suppliers. This system prevents printing errors and ensures accuracy. Furthermore, Unifize's documentation feature allows Erica to trace back the history of revisions, understanding the reasons behind each change. This video highlights Unifize's effectiveness in managing and tracking artwork revisions, ensuring quality control and accuracy in the production process.
Watch Video
02:04
Prioritising and getting things done faster with Unifize
In this video, Erica discusses her involvement in approval processes, particularly for finished good releases, using Unifize. She explains how Unifize allows her to prioritize tasks by marking finished goods as critical or urgent, which alerts the team to their importance. This feature, she notes, streamlines the approval process and reduces the likelihood of overlooking important tasks, a common issue with email communication. Erica highlights the efficiency of Unifize in managing time-sensitive requests, like needing an image, which could take hours through traditional methods. With Unifize, these tasks can be completed much faster, often within 15 to 30 minutes, greatly benefiting their fulfillment center's ability to respond to urgent shipping needs. This video showcases Unifize's effectiveness in expediting approval processes and improving overall operational efficiency.
Watch Video
01:20
Dealing with non-conformances made simple with Unifize
In this video, Erica recounts a specific incident where a wrong revision of artwork was used, demonstrating how she utilized Unifize to manage the situation effectively. She was tasked with investigating the error, which involved gathering information and creating a non-conformance report in Unifize. Erica describes the ease of initiating this process in Unifize, starting from the affected finished good lot. She mentions that the error was traced back to their supply team and emphasizes the importance of thorough documentation in Unifize for tracking such incidents. Additionally, she highlights Unifize's capability to link specific incidents to affected products and its utility in generating reports. This allows for an efficient overview of non-conformances related to finished goods. Erica's experience showcases how Unifize streamlines the process of handling, documenting, and analyzing quality issues, enhancing organizational efficiency and accountability.
Watch Video
00:35
How we use Unifize to manage SOPs and their revisions
In this video, Erica discusses the practicality of Unifize in managing and updating Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs). She appreciates the platform's robust feature that meticulously tracks revisions, highlighting its significance in an environment where procedures are frequently changing. Erica points out that Unifize is particularly useful in overseeing these changes, ensuring that every modification is clearly documented and traceable. She emphasizes the convenience of being able to instantly access any SOP, as all documents are centrally stored in Unifize. This capability not only saves time but also enhances the accuracy and efficiency of managing operational processes. Erica's insights illustrate how Unifize serves as a vital tool in maintaining up-to-date and accessible SOPs, crucial for the smooth functioning of quality assurance processes.
Watch Video
01:30
How important is having a single system for everyone to collaborate on all things quality
In this video, Erica expresses her enthusiasm for the collaborative aspect of Unifize, emphasizing its effectiveness in facilitating smooth teamwork without overlapping efforts. She appreciates the platform's ability to connect various departments, including their contract manufacturer, which she frequently mentions in relation to finished good lots. Erica highlights how Unifize streamlines communication, particularly with the contract manufacturer, offering a quicker and more efficient alternative to email or other methods. She notes that other departments also find value in Unifize for accessing files and information. Erica acknowledges some challenges in getting everyone to adapt to a new system but is optimistic about the ongoing efforts of the quality team to improve collaboration across teams. She believes that embracing Unifize will greatly enhance overall efficiency and productivity within the company. This video showcases Unifize's role in promoting effective inter-departmental collaboration and communication.
Watch Video
01:18
How we use Unifize to manage customer complaints
In this video, Erica outlines how her team efficiently manages customer complaints using Unifize. Complaints are logged and tracked, allowing for trend analysis and investigations into specific product lots when needed. While not all complaints lead to formal investigations, all instances are recorded for accountability. The process of entering complaints into the system is quick, generally taking less than 10 minutes. However, more complex cases requiring third-party involvement take longer. Erica emphasizes Unifize's role in keeping the complaint resolution process streamlined and organized, ensuring timely and effective handling of customer issues.
Watch Video

More from Natalie Jones

Unifize Results

10x
Speed to compliance
Unifize accelerates compliance, delivering 10x faster regulatory approval for medical devices
4x
Faster time-to-market
Map Unifize to your processes and streamline workflows, process automation
70%
Fewer meetings
Less meetings with in-app collaboration, real-time updates, and decision logs
View More Case Studies
A quote from Denis Machoka
Video icon

Denis's Experience with Unifize: Revolutionizing Quality Assurance Systems

Quality expert Denis details his transformative journey with Unifize. He praises its efficient design, user-centric approach, and the system's ability to streamline data handling and accelerate time to market.

A quote from Michael Hogan
Video icon

Engineering Efficiency with Unifize: Michael Hogan's Insights from Harmonic Bionics

Mechanical Engineer Michael Hogan elaborates on how the integration of Unifize at Harmonic Bionics has streamlined his engineering processes, promoting transparency and rapid turnaround in the medical device domain.

A quote from Jesse Kolstad
Video icon

Here’s how Biovation Labs reduced testing costs from $146K to $65K in two months

Learn how and why Biovation Labs, an FDA regulated nutraceutical manufacturer based in Salt Lake City, took the decision to transition from MasterControl to Unifize for their product lifecycle (PLM) and quality management (QMS) processes.

A quote from Tedd Carr
Video icon

How a quality veteran from boosted issue closure time by 75% within the first month

Tedd Carr from The Will-Burt Company discusses overcoming their diverse and complex quality challenges across various sectors with Unifize. By consolidating five systems into one, they achieved clear accountability and reduced issue closure from months to days, demonstrating significant efficiency gains and faster decision-making in their quality processes.