The healthcare sector is undergoing rapid change. As hospitals face rising cost pressures, the pressure of competition and the continuing necessity of new investments, it is essential to optimise internal processes. If these processes are not carefully coordinated, the hospital is likely to experience supply difficulties. The logistics inside a hospital are more complicated than you might think. To satisfy both current and future requirements, hospitals are now being forced to identify untapped rationalisation potential, develop new organisational structures and optimise processes.Bern University Hospital, founded in 1354, is playing a leading role in this process of change. The hospital occupies an important position in the Swiss healthcare sector. With a staff of over 7100, the hospital provides high-quality medical treatment and individual care to 52 000 inpatients and more than 263 000 outpatients every year. This makes for complex intralogistics.The hospital already had a central warehouse designed by SSI Schaefer where medical consumables and other materials are order-picked. To supply all wards, including some non-bed wards, a modular cabinet solution was gradually introduced. This system offers significant quality benefits when it comes to material management. However, from a logistical point of view it also means more picking positions to be processed. The modular cabinet system is based on the kanban principle. Items are stored in defined compartments. There are two identical compartments for each item, each containing the quantity expected to be used up before new supplies are ordered. When one compartment is empty the replenishing process is initiated. Until new supplies arrive, goods are removed from the second compartment. This system ensures fixed order quantities and optimum reliability of supply. A project group was organised to evaluate a more efficient picking solution. The objectives were to take the burden off the central warehouse, improve efficiency, reduce personnel requirements, increase supply quality, minimise errors and simplify processes. "To achieve these goals we were prepared to adopt a new approach. So we opted for a second, decentralised, inventory-managed warehouse and a move towards automation," says Thomas Nietlispach, the manager of the central warehouse."Time always brings change. This is why we offered the customer a modular solution that is not only perfect for the present, but also incorporates a flexible design that can be expanded as a modular system as required", explains Bruno Skraber, departmental manager at SSI Schaefer Switzerland. The automation technology was chosen to suit the customer's own process and therefore be as cost-effective as possible, and now satisfies all the hospital's requirements. "This system, a combination of storage and conveying technology, proved to be ideal, and the customised combination of modular systems achieves the stated aim of increasing supply reliability while taking the burden off personnel," says Skraber.The new facility was installed without any interruption to normal warehouse operations. The task was not without its challenges: "The new warehouse was to be installed in an existing space. So the project had to be implemented within a defined area of 500 m²," Skraber explains. Particular attention was also paid to ergonomics, as one of the objectives was to reduce personnel workloads. The new warehouse now holds around 1000 different items. For optimum storage, there is live storage racking for around 100 'A' products (fast movers) and modular racking for 'B' and 'C' products (medium and slow movers). For bulky items such as nappies and surgical materials there is a dedicated pallet picking zone. All storage spaces are managed by WAMAS C, the SSI Schaefer logistics software. The warehouse management system is linked in to the customer's SAP system. "WAMAS C makes process control absolutely transparent. All processes are clearly structured," says Skraber. Orders are picked using handheld RF terminals in three zones, which are directly interlinked by the container conveyor. The live storage racking with fast-moving items is positioned right next to the conveyor. This allows goods in this zone to be picked efficiently at an ergonomic height and placed directly into the containers on the conveyor belt. The modular racking containing B and C items is located directly behind the warehouse staff, so they can also be picked in just a few steps. The facility is manned by three to four people working a single shift. "The new solution not only makes our processes more transparent, it also reduces picking time by over 50% without any reduction in quality. This gives staff more time for other logistics tasks," says Nietlispach. As for the flow of goods and information, the requirements of each ward are entered into an MDE device each day and sent to the SAP system. Orders are sorted and picked according to internal priorities and delivery routes. The delivery slip is then printed in the picking warehouse before the warehouse team scans the order and links it with up to five containers per order. En route to the warehouse, the software automatically registers in which of the two zones the containers will be discharged and when. Once the order container has been transported into the picking zone by the conveyor belt, an employee scans the barcode on the container and the picking instructions are displayed on the handheld terminal. Every pick is confirmed with a handheld scanner for checking purposes. "This increases the order picking quality," says Skraber. "The customer always receives a correct, error-free delivery." Once the order is complete, the conveyor automatically transports the picked items to the outgoing goods area. Here, the containers are placed on caddies and supply assistants deliver them to the modular cabinets for each ward. In the event of problems, SSI Schaefer's IT team can perform remote error diagnosis and troubleshooting.Transparent, efficient and economical processes in a user-friendly solution tailored to the hospital's requirements. And with an error rate of almost zero. "We're very pleased that we chose to make the leap into automated technology," concludes Nietlispach.
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