The Apostore robot gives the gift of time.

Time is a precious commodity – particularly for Apotheke Weiz, who is dedicated to spending quality time advising their customers about their health. This has been easier since the re-opening of the pharmacy, as Robi the Apostore robot is freeing up time by handling the time-consuming tasks.

Robi the robot – in reality an Apostore – has in the meantime become a good friend to the team working at Apotheke Weiz on Kaplenweg road. Since the grand opening in December 2017, Robi has been handling the storage and picking tasks. “In the beginning we were afraid that our new robot would result in people having to wait around. In reality, this time is spent one-on-one with our customers. They benefit from the additional time we now have to advise them,” revealed Dr Roswitha Kuttner, license holder and owner of the Apotheke Weiz pharmacy.

Not afraid to automate

“We are really proud of our high-tech pharmacy. We get at least three large deliveries every day. If the customer orders a medicine in the morning, it’s there in the afternoon,” explained Veronika Grabner. She is a trained pharmacy clerk and is responsible for “feeding” the Apostore – a task that involves ordering, storing and checking. 12,000 packages are stored in the automated picking machine which delivers the medicine to one of the three cash registers within seconds, all at the touch of a button. The robot arm reaches a speed of 60 km/h as it works, and the most commonly transported medicine are the painkillers as they are most in demand. “Automation is incredibly advantageous to us. We not only have more time to spend with customers, our operational processes have also been simplified,” added Dr Roswitha Kuttner.

Outstanding technology made in Europe

The Apostore is produced in Germany by Apostore – a subsidiary of KNAPP AG – and is 100 % European. The pharmacy planned all the individual processes with Apostore before making the purchase. Setup and startup took place within just two weeks. Regular maintenance, including remote maintenance, software updates as well as a 24-hour Hotline service ensure trouble-free operation. “A camera connects us with the service employees, so help is always available,” reported Veronika Grabner. “KNAPP is headquartered in Hart bei Graz, and this regional proximity along with the high level of service quality were important to us when selecting an automation partner,” added Mag. pharm. Katrin Kuttner, the owner’s daughter. She has been working in the pharmacy as a pharmacist since completing her degree.

A pharmacy of the future

Robi the robot represents a major step towards digitalization, as the data is now simply scanned into the system. Moreover, a digital terminal is available at Apotheke Weiz where customers can readily get up-to-date information. Even with digital assistance such as this, personal consultation is tremendously important, and the pharmacy team has even observed an increase in the demand for it. “Our pharmacy is now state-of-the-art and best equipped with technology for the future,” enthused Katrin Kuttner, who will take over the pharmacy in a few years. “For the future, we envision more self-help terminals. Customers who don’t want to wait can simply select their products by themselves.” At Apotheke Weiz, valuable one-on-one consultation is perfectly complemented by Apostore automation technology.

About KNAPP

KNAPP is a leading technological company and provides intelligent solutions for distribution and production. Countless innovations originating from the Austrian headquarters have successfully gone around the world. Industry know-how is an important aspect of the company’s success. In the past business year, the KNAPP group invested around 48 million euros in research and development. The company has around 4,500 employees worldwide – with over 2,100 at the headquarters in Hart bei Graz.

About Apostore GmbH

Since 1986, Apostore has been building automatic picking machines for medicines, eyeglasses, contact lenses, automotive spare parts, shoes, jewellery and other small parts in Gelsenkirchen, Germany. Founded in the 2000, Apostore GmbH produces automatic picking machines of different sizes for pharmacies open to the public as well as hospital pharmacies, offering comprehensive services. Engineering company KHT Kommissionier- und Handhabungstechnik GmbH is the parent company of Apostore GmbH. KHT specializes in industrial solutions for warehouse logistics. The product portfolio includes measurement, weighing and storage technologies as well as industrial services. KHT is a one-hundred percent subsidiary of KNAPP AG.