US pharmaceutical wholesaler Cardinal Health has implemented a new service for the mail-order pharmacy sector that is designed to improve efficiency and security in the supply chain.
Mail order accounts for around 22 per cent of the $254bn retail pharmacy sales sector in the USA, according to 2008 data from the National Association of Chain Drug Stores, and is growing faster than any other distribution route in value terms.
Cardinal says its new EZ Cart system "dramatically simplifies the process mail order pharmacies use to replenish and manage pharmaceutical products."
Mail order pharmacies usually receive thousands of pharmaceutical products each day, in hundreds of unorganized plastic bins, and unloading, sorting and scanning the products can take an enormous amount of staff time, according to Cardinal.
EZ Cart streamlines this process by pre-sorting products into compartmentalised containers which are then placed into plastic bins. These bins are then placed onto mobile carts, organised by assigned locations at each customer site – before they arrive at the customer’s loading dock. That saves the pharmacy an estimated 35 to 40 per cent in labour time, claims the company.
The system also adds another layer of security as all EZ Carts are secured with numbered seals.
More information is available here.