In modern day society it is becoming increasingly more commonplace to see robotic machinery on a production line doing the work that their human counterparts would have been doing 50+ years ago. Particularly within the manufacturing industry this demand and growth in the use of robotics is evident, due in part to the sector's reliance on eCommerce, which is resulting in increased pressure on operations.
Although manufacturing industries are increasing their use of robotics to meet demands and improve efficiency, there are other industries proving somewhat apprehensive in adopting robotics. DHL released a report earlier this year titled ‘Robotics in Logistics’, which investigates how automation within supply chains and logistics will revolutionise and improve the future of this sector.
Within the robotic logistics landscape, DHL’s report found that 80% of current warehouses are not supported by automation and as such are still manually operated. Surprisingly given the technological advancement seen in other industries, there are only 5% of current warehouses that have fully adopted automation.
Who Would Benefit from Implementation of Automation?
There are some specific sectors within the supply chain and logistics industry that would benefit from adopting a more technology-focused approach. Automated pharmaceutical warehousing can help to efficiently manage quality control and distribution of medical products ensuring that regulatory requirements and GDP are met at all times from pallet to patient.
Adhering to regulatory requirements is a key priority within the pharmaceutical industry and government and authoritative regulatory bodies require that every step within the production and distribution of medicines and medical devices be met with continuous quality monitoring and control.
As such the industry could benefit from automation to help reduce any human error. Indeed, warehouse management was listed as one of the top 10 challenges facing pharmaceutical supply chains on a global level in research carried out last year.
Although manufacturing industries are increasing their use of robotics to meet demands and improve efficiency, there are other industries proving somewhat apprehensive in adopting robotics. DHL released a report earlier this year titled ‘Robotics in Logistics’, which investigates how automation within supply chains and logistics will revolutionise and improve the future of this sector.
Within the robotic logistics landscape, DHL’s report found that 80% of current warehouses are not supported by automation and as such are still manually operated. Surprisingly given the technological advancement seen in other industries, there are only 5% of current warehouses that have fully adopted automation.
Who Would Benefit from Implementation of Automation?
There are some specific sectors within the supply chain and logistics industry that would benefit from adopting a more technology-focused approach. Automated pharmaceutical warehousing can help to efficiently manage quality control and distribution of medical products ensuring that regulatory requirements and GDP are met at all times from pallet to patient.
Adhering to regulatory requirements is a key priority within the pharmaceutical industry and government and authoritative regulatory bodies require that every step within the production and distribution of medicines and medical devices be met with continuous quality monitoring and control.
As such the industry could benefit from automation to help reduce any human error. Indeed, warehouse management was listed as one of the top 10 challenges facing pharmaceutical supply chains on a global level in research carried out last year.
Top 10 Global Health Pharmaceutical Challenges
1. Lack of coordination
2. Inventory management
3. Absent demand information
4. Human resource dependency
5. Order management
6. Shortage avoidance
7. Expiration
8. Warehouse management
9. Temperature control
10. Shipment visibility
(Source: Science Direct)
But what types of automation could pharmacy supply chains use to assist in tackling common obstacles such as those listed above?
Autonomous Robots
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| Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org |
Recent advancements by tech startup IAM Robotics has led to them building the world’s first mobile, autonomous piece-picking robot, which they unveiled earlier this year. With a combination of a 3D item scanner and Swift Link management software, the piece-picking robot is set to be a game changer for pharmaceuticals through its ability to provide above human-level speeds. Certainly it has the potential to deliver a healthy ROI however the initial cost for the autonomous equipment is not specified and given the nature of the product I would expect that the price tag is going to be considerable.
While I have no doubt that robotics such as Swift will prove invaluable to pharmaceutical warehouse managers, I do not foresee these being implemented within the near future as the industry is often slow to adopt new technologies. However, I would strongly recommend that this is researched and trialled to ensure that robotic errors are kept to a minimum to ensure that the safety of the patient at the end of the supply chain is met.
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