Medline Responds to Increased Healthcare Needs with Innovation

By Medline Newsroom Staff | November 28, 2018

In the United States, spending for healthcare is expected to grow at rate of more than five percent a year through 2026. As health systems expand to meet the demand, they’ve turned to companies like Medline which have their own distribution centers that serve as regional hubs providing next-day service. Deliveries go to customers across the continuum of care from hospitals and surgery centers to physicians’ offices and long-term care facilities, and even to providers of home health.

Well before the latest growth outlook, Medline looked at automated solutions for increased item picking, shorter windows to fill orders and a tight labor market. Working with Swisslog, Medline installed the AutoStore automated storage and retrieval system. The highly efficient, robotized goods-to-person order processing solution allows Medline facilities to save on storage space while remaining flexible to pick individual items. Medline was the first company in the U.S. to embrace the technology in 2013, and is now preparing to implement its ninth AutoStore system.

“AutoStore has allowed us to continue to increase our cutoff times, expand our product offering in a temperature-controlled environment and cover our expanding customer base,” said Bill Abington, president of global operations, Medline. “It’s allowing us to challenge the norm and continue to drive a world-class supply chain that benefits our customers and differentiates our business. As a result, Medline is continuing to install AutoStore technology.”

While Medline’s own fleet delivers the majority of orders, Medline still ships to tens of thousands of small customers who receive parcel or LTL orders daily. Hitting order cutoff times for parcel and less than truckload (LTL) shipments is critical because everything is next day.

“Swisslog is very proud of our partnership with Medline and pleased that they continue to put their trust in us to automate and support their facilities with state-of-the-art automation and software,” added Markus Schmidt, president, Swisslog Logistics Automation Americas.

Have unique receiving needs? Learn more about delivery services that are most convenient for your facility.

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Categories: Company News, Supply Chain

Medline Newsroom Staff

Medline Newsroom Staff

Medline's newsroom staff researches and reports on the latest news and trends in healthcare.

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