Pharma firms explore robotic warehouse picking

Hygie31 has chosen Exotec to transform its Dhygietal pharmacy logistics platform, with the Skypod robots implemented at the company’s La Veuve warehouse. The Exotec installation covers 1,500 sq m and comprises 38 Skypod robots, moving autonomously in all directions and up to 11 metres in height.

The installation will be instrumental to Hygie31’s ongoing growth, with the company aiming to increase productivity sixfold over the next three years, while tripling the number of product references from 23,000 to 70,000. The system was designed to be deliberately oversized for this reason, and will be integral in the development and rollout of Hygie31’s HygieStore supply tool. This aims to give pharmacies across France access to a wider range of products, with shorter delivery times.

Hygie31 chairman Hervé Jouves, says: “We are preserving the working conditions of Dhygietal's employees, as Exotec’s robots will take over repetitive and arduous tasks, enabling them to concentrate on value-added tasks.”

Hartmann Group is a provider of professional medical products and services. It has taken on Exotec’s Skypod system in order to double its storage density and increase the speed of order processing at its site in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region. The new installation will also improve working conditions at the site, support employees in the warehouse, increase performance output, shorten delivery times, and expand volumes of express deliveries. Hartmann expects the project to be completed and operational by early 2025.

Hartmann France director of operations Emmanuel Denoues, says: "This collaboration with Exotec is a major milestone for Hartmann France, enabling us to continue our growth in the French market. With this investment in our site, we are committed to providing a wider range of services and even better performance for our pharmacist partners."

For more information, visit www.exotec.com