Doctor De Marco, what led you to want to automate your pharmacy?
We needed to recover space. Before the installation of the automated warehouse, we used drawers which took up too much surface area of the pharmacy. Automation was a great solution to the problem, and we knew it would allow us to enjoy many other benefits.
The installation of the robot allowed us to fully achieve the goal: the more than 15,000 packages that were stowed inside the drawers are now in our medium-large robot, occupying perhaps 1/4 of the shelves they previously occupied.
What led you to decide to rely on Pharmathek for your pharmacy’s automation?
I was undecided between two suppliers, but then a colleague who had tried both technologies dispelled my doubts. In fact, this colleague, who had had a robot from the another manufacturer for years, decided to change and install a Pharmathek robot and he is still very satisfied with this choice.
Another point in Pharmathek’s favor is its belonging to the group to which Th.Kohl belongs, the company to which I had decided to entrust the renovation of the pharmacy. In fact, we wanted the robot to be an integral part of the furniture and relying on a single interlocutor made all this easier.
Other aspects that I appreciated about Pharmathek technology are the exclusive Euclid3D mechanical gripper and the fact that the robot interfaced perfectly with the pharmacy management system.
In addition to saving space, what are the advantages you appreciate most of the Pharmathek robot?
Surely the enormous time savings in warehouse management: thanks to the Pharmaload automatic loader the storage time of the drug has exceptionally decreased.
Equally noteworthy is the possibility of being able to know in real time all the information concerning the robotic warehouse, from the number of products in stock to the related expiry dates.
I also really appreciate that it is so easy to use.
How did customers react to the automation of the pharmacy?
They thoroughly enjoyed it.
Certainly my request to make the robot visible to customers, making it an integral part of the furniture, proved to be a winning choice.
This is because I didn’t just want customers to know about the robot’s existence: I wanted to engage them visually by showing them how a robotic pharmacy works.
This goal was achieved through two choices: the first is to equip the robot with glass panels through which customers could see the robot in action. The second is to have installed the automatic loader on the side facing the sales area, allowing customers to see how the products are poured into the loader.
Customers are so interested that sometimes I arrange some guided tours!
Would you recommend Pharmathek to colleagues?
Absolutely yes: as far as I am concerned it is the best.
It works perfectly and from my experience I can say that a modern pharmacy must have a warehouse robot.
