The client - a central pharmaceutical warehouse supplying all hospitals and pharmacies in Qatar - faced the challenge of significantly increasing throughput while reducing order picking errors.
Challenge
The manual picking process to date:
✅ was time-consuming,
The ✅ generated a high error rate (about 10%),
✅ required the hiring of qualified personnel from the pharmaceutical industry, which was difficult and costly in the region.
In addition, the warehouse was located in specific climatic conditions (desert), and maximizing the use of available space was key to optimizing costs.
Solution proposed by Intralog
We designed and implemented a fully automated order picking system that included:
✅ Flow racks and mezzanines integrated With transportation systems.
✅ Automatic packaging, labeling and sorting into shipping directions.
✅ Integration with the customer's information system, including Pick-to-Light, which allowed easy and intuitive management of the process.
✅ Control table for a specialist who could verify key orders without involving additional staff.
✅ A compact solution that allows you to make maximum use of cubic capacity hall, maintaining stable temperature conditions (18°C), despite harsh desert conditions.
The system was delivered comprehensively - from a single source, including full IT integration, which simplified implementation and shortened operational startup time.
What results did we get?
Optimal use of the volume of the hall and adaptation to specific climatic conditions (desert, stable temperature).
✔ 80% faster Shipment picking - automation has significantly increased throughput.
✔ Error reduction from 10% to 0.5% - Elimination of problems characteristic of manual picking.
✔ No necessity hiring skilled pharmaceutical personnel - the process is fully intuitive and automated.
✔ Increase in the number of orders handled without adding staff.
✔ Comprehensive handling - from picking, packaging and labeling to sorting shipments to hospitals and pharmacies.
Summary
✅ Plan promotions or discounts for products with shorter expiration dates.
✅ Use WMS systems that allow you to check expiration dates in real time.
✅ Apply the FEFO (First Expired, First Out) principle, i.e., pick and release first those products with the earliest expiration date. In this way, you minimize the risk of expired goods and reduce losses.
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