Takeda Drupal Journey
“Takeda Drupal Journey” is a multisite project that focuses on the integration, management and optimization of multiple websites within a unified framework. The scalable architecture makes it easy to set up the websites. The framework is characterized by a uniform design and a high degree of flexibility, which can be adapted to the specific requirements of the customer as well as to the individual needs of the individual websites.
Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited is a Japanese multinational pharmaceutical company. It is the third largest in Asia and among the top 20 worldwide. Takeda operates several specialized business units that focus on specific areas of the pharmaceutical industry. To maintain its cross-functional approach, the EPI server CMS base system was used prior to the project.
The aim of this project is to create a coherent and efficient network of websites. The use of centralized management, standardized processes and advanced technological solutions will ensure operational excellence, scalability and an improved customer experience on all websites.
Project Goals and Results
The basic aim of this project was to switch from an outdated system to a new, better structured and unified system that would enable optimized editorial use. We planned and designed the project with great care. A system changeover, as was planned at Takeda, brings with it numerous challenges. To overcome these, we chose Drupal as the right software solution for the project. A key advantage of Drupal was its standardized code base, which met the client's requirements.
We began by redesigning the framework with accessibility, performance, content strategy and user experience in mind. Based on the principle of atomic design, we developed a unified code base, known internally as the “mother of all sites” or template site. This serves as the basis for all other pages and subpages. We had to take into account both business and marketing-related needs.
With Drupal, we designed a new content management system (CMS) that is so user-friendly that even non-technical editors can create websites or individual pages for marketing without the need for developers to intervene in the process. We followed a component-driven platform approach by creating a library of modular components that can be integrated or uninstalled at any time.
Although different websites have different color schemes, they essentially have the same look and feel. This was taken into account to allow the website administrator to customize the settings at the theme level. The client also required a local content hub architecture that would allow components to be reused with content and change the original look and feel in some places without changing the content itself. This was achieved through a modular content library.
The new Drupal-based framework offers significant improvements in all areas compared to the old EPI server-based system:
- Faster website creation
- Significantly faster websites compared to the old system
- Optimized and consistent user experience across all websites
- Better control over the delivery process through Pantheon Upstream
- Improved optimization of pages for mobile devices
- Easy customization of site branding and functionality
Overall, the new system represents a significant evolution that meets both the client's operational and editorial requirements.
Fazit
This project has fundamentally modernized the way we create websites for Takeda. It has become easier to design and implement subpages. All websites are now based on a basic theme and use their own design system. Compiling components, updating versions and making other functional changes has also been simplified considerably. The time required to create a new website has been drastically reduced and in most cases can be done without the assistance of a developer.
