PHARMACEUTICAL

LOGISTICS
ordered and received
all in one day.

Pharmaceutical Logistics

The Journey of Aspirin & Co.

SSI Schfer is an expert in providing customised logistics solutions for the worlds
leading pharmaceutical companies.
Over many years we have helped to build our customers prevailing reputation for
on-time delivery, supply chain visibility and cargo security. Our customers rely on
our technology and know-how to be able to deliver critical merchandise to hospitals,
health care providers and pharmacies around the globe.

From the Producer to the Wholesaler

Our journey starts on a pharmaceutical production
site in the depths of an automatic high rack storage
system.
There thousands of pallets, carrying again thousands
of pharmaceutical packages are stacked in large
steel racking systems. To reduce material transport
and access time, automatic storage and retrieval
machines are installed. These handle storage and
retrieval operations in high bay warehouses and
move products to transfer stations.
SSI Schfer offers a wide spectrum of standard devices that can be adapted to the customers specific
needs.

Large quantities of pharmaceuticals still stocked on

pallets are then transported to distribution centers.
A typical distribution center stocks 30 to 40 thousand
SKUs (stock keeping unit), before re-distributing to
pharmacies, hospitals and other health care centers.
A distribution center is a principal part, the order
processing element of the entire order fulfillment
process. Distribution centers are usually thought of
as demand driven.
Order processing is the term used to describe the
work flow associated with the picking, packing and
dispatch of products.

Manual refill of A-Frame channels

High bay storage and retrieval system
Conveying system The automated journey through the warehouse up to delivery

Pharmaceutical Logistics

Special Requirements for the

Pharmaceutical Industry
Due to years of experience SSI SCHFER has become a specialist when it comes to pharmaceutical
warehousing and distribution. Due to the very specific constraints this industry is bound to, the following
requirements are standard in this sector:
} Batch- and expiry date tracing
} Storage by batch or lot
} Fast movers stocked up to 14 days, slow movers
stocked up to 2 months
} Specialised storage areas for herbs, narcotics,
hazardous chemicals, refrigerated or locked products
} Clear division of over-the-counter and prescription
medication

Once the products arrive in the warehouse, they are

either stocked on their pallets in a racking system or
are separated into storage totes and introduced into
the system at the goods-in workstations.
These stations have a clever ergonomic design to
enable the effective and effortless repetitive handling
of heavy or bulky loads.
Due to the highly efficient warehouse management
system, any SKU can be located at any given moment
of its journey through the warehouse.

Storage and Retrieval

Systems
The storage totes are then taken via an SSI SCHFER
conveying system to a storage and retrieval system,
which may be a Schfer Carousel System or a Schfer
Miniload (automated small parts storage system).
The Carousel System is great for storing slow movers,
whereas a Miniload is great for overstock and filling
the flow racks, from which either the A-Frames are
refilled or staff can pick manually.

A-Frame line with replenishment (Kolli flow rack)

A-Frame collecting belt

Cooling system for thermally sensitive products

phArmACeuTiCAl logisTiCs

piCKing
At certain peak times during the day, the orders all
arrive simultaneously and are fed into the warehouse
management system. The journey of the order tote
starts, often needing only 20 minutes to reach the
dispatch area.
ssi sChfer has created a large variety of picking
processes, each designed to fit a specific type of product or picking method.

Automatic:
} robo-pick
} A-frame
Goods to Man:
} pick-to-Tote
} pick-to-Bucket

Man to Goods:
racking system:
} parallel picking system
} mobile picking
operator guide system:
} pick-by-voice
} radio frequency picking
} i-pick
} pick-by-light

hAnDling sysTems
in every warehouse there are people who stack, destack, lid or add invoices. These tasks are repetitive, tiresome and often physically demanding. ssi
sChfer has put a lot of thought towards these
chores and has developed a whole range of machines
with incredible return on investment, called the handling systems. some of these are listed here:

lidding and address insertion

Document insertion machine

} Destacker
} stacker
} loading and un-loading station
} Tote emptying machine
} lidding machine
} lidding and Address insertion
} Address insertion machine
} label Jet
} schfer Compact insertion

(top) sCs Warehouse with pick-to-Tote picking zone

entry-level solution for manual small parts warehouse i-pick

robo-pick fully automatic picking cell with up to 2000 picks/ h

smC - schfer miniload Crane
manual picking trolley mobile picking

nr. 011010en. ssi sChfer graz

printed in Austria. We assume no responsibility for printing errors.

SSI Schfer Peem GmbH

fischeraustrae 27
A-8051 graz
Tel. +43/316/60 96-0
fax +43/316/60 96-457
sales@ssi-schaefer-peem.com
www.ssi-schaefer.com