Pocket sorters in a pharmaceutical warehouse?
We’ll show you how it’s done.
Though common in fashion and retail warehouses, pocket sorters are still uncharted territory for the pharmaceutical sector. In fact, the AutoPocket is great for efficient batch picking with end-to-end tracking of serial and lot numbers. For click and collect orders, the individual orders are packed together according to the receiving pharmacy in a second sorting process. With the help of AutoPocket, Limedika is taking medication supply to the next level and opening up new opportunities with their new business model.
Three business models are efficiently implemented in one warehouse: pharmaceutical wholesale, e-commerce, click&collect and online retail.
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AutoPocket and a classic pharma wholesale logistics solution are an unique combination. We’re proud to have made history and we are delighted that the system is performing just as promised.
You are interested in logistics automation?
Let our experts advise you!
Advantages of the AutoPocket solution
Multichannel distribution gaining ground in the pharmaceutical sector
In addition to pharmaceutical wholesale, Limedika also runs their own pharmacies and cooperates closely with other pharmacy chains and partner pharmacies. Together, they have a 30 percent market share in Lithuania. With that comes great responsibility for reliably supplying pharmaceuticals, dietary supplements and veterinary products. End customers often order online and appreciate convenient options such as click and collect. Processing these small e-commerce orders solely on the SDA A-frame automated picking system, would have caused a throughput mismatch with the wider system.
Orders would have stalled at the check and pack stations, negatively influencing delivery times. However, the AutoPocket pocket sorter system handles online orders elegantly and efficiently. It allows multiple orders to be batch picked simultaneously, reducing processing times. Furthermore, the automation requires few to no check stations. Goods reach the customer quickly and the scalable system design means Limedika is also well-prepared for future growth.
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How a YouTube clip changed Limedika’s business
Additionally, the existing logistics system needed to be integrated seamlessly into the overall process and the error rate kept as low as possible.
With these requirements in mind, a team of design engineers and software specialists created the first concepts for solving Limedika’s intralogistics needs. After a few concepts had already been discussed, the project team at Limedika stumbled upon a pocket sorter video from KNAPP on YouTube and were thoroughly impressed – so much so that they immediately recognized that the solution would be perfect for Limedika too.
You are interested in logistics automation?
Let our experts advise you.
The solution – perfect performance, regardless of order structure
For the most part, the existing warehouse structure – including the SDA A-frame automated picking system, floored racks, and check and shipping stations for pharmaceutical wholesale – remained unchanged. What’s new is the AutoPocket system with loading stations and an additional area for shipping with courier services.
Items for both click and collect and B2C e-commerce orders are brought from the SDA and other storage locations to three loading stations, where each item is packed into its own pocket. They are then buffered until all items for an order are in the pockets, at which point the pockets are consolidated and conveyed to the pack stations to deposit their items into the containers for each order. The process is fully automatic and highly efficient, even for the smallest orders, and is powered by high-level digital intelligence.
Orders in pharmaceutical wholesale
Orders for pharmaceutical wholesalers are mainly picked fully automatically using the high-speed automatic picking machine. All orders pass through a control station and are only then transported to the packing station. The containers prepared for dispatch there are then delivered to pharmacies and hospitals by the company’s own dispatch fleet.
E-commerce orders
Items for e-commerce orders that are delivered directly to the consumer are collected from the various storage locations and placed individually in the bags of the AutoPocket system at the loading stations. The bags wait in the buffer zone until all the items belonging to the order are available. Only then are they transported together to the packing station, where they are packed for dispatch.
Click&Collect orders
For Click&Collect orders, the items are first transported from the various shelf systems or from the SDA to the loading stations. There, the bags are loaded with the individual items and transported to the buffer, where they remain until all the items in an order are available. Only then is the order consolidated by the bags belonging to an order emptying their contents into a chute.
The AutoPocket is perfect for what we need. Just design us a system that will seamlessly interact with our existing warehouse system.
Brilliant Omnichannel-Fulfillment
The solution, which is a combination of the A-frame picking system and the pocket sorter, helped our customer achieve all their targets effortlessly. Thanks to the high degree of automation, they saw a significant increase in efficiency, ensuring swift delivery. The current warehouse design has room for growth. If needed, further loading stations, pack stations and buffer loops can be added. The seamless traceability of serial and lot numbers was also part of the solution. Last but not least, it has been ensured that the items or, more specifically, their packaging remain fully intact when they are emptied from the pocket.
