Solutions for medium-sized pharmacies

Customers are increasingly visiting pharmacies to obtain sound advice on health issues. They trust in the expertise of the pharmacists and see them as a key function in the therapy of minor illnesses, but also in giving them orientation concerning the large amount of information available.

Pharmacists are thus gradually taking over functions that other health care institutions have previously served. This allows pharmacies to reposition themselves in a difficult market environment, which is increasingly being taken over by e-commerce. Using the pharmacist's key asset - human knowledge.

However, this also requires a restructuring of work processes and the pharmacy set-up to enable the pharmacy to make the transition from dispensing medication to becoming a centre of healthcare services.

I am convinced that my pharmacist will keep my information confidential. But I also prefer an area that enables this confidentiality towards other customers.

Matteo S., Engineer, Rome

Your individual pharmacy setup

We are convinced that automation should not be at the heart of spatial planning when a pharmacy is restructured. Instead, pharmacy robots should be used in a way that enables new concepts and supports the pharmacy flexibly in future adaptations.

From the customer's point of view, two factors are elementary for a credible positioning as a Health Service Center:

Time that the pharmacist spends with them personally
Room that allows sensitive issues to be addressed.

Below, you can discover one possible setup.

Open up for efficient operations.

EvoTec pharmacy robot is a smart stock management system that can be placed behind the counter but also delocalized. Its multi-picking function uses the same operation for identical boxes or different products.

Advanced robotics ensure error-free storage and retrieval of both fast moving and slow moving items, to save time for the pharmacy staff, and to simplify their daily work processes. EvoTec automatically identifies and stores each item. Packs are feeded on buffer conveyors, picked by the crane and deposited on high density shelves. Picking rates of more than 500 items per hour can be reached with multi-pick and prescription-pick dispensing.

EvoTec fully integrates with our transport automation solutions.
Open up for streamlined workflows.

Our partner Pharmony is the first company in the European pharmacy market that offers a cloud-based pharmacy management software that is already established in the Belgian market and as a next step will be available for French pharmacies.

Within your own pharmacy environment, the software not only connects all applications such as Pharmacy Robot, Click & Collect and the counter itself, but also allows you to connect to the different areas regardless of where you are in the store and which end device you are using.
In this way you can, for example, advise and accompany customers in the front store and at the same time place an order for them via tablet to the counter.

And the use of software even goes beyond your own walls, in line with the Open Pharmacy approach. Not only remote access to all data including performance reports is possible, but also a virtual connection with other pharmacies, which enables you to automatically cumulate drug purchases and thus obtain better volume conditions from wholesalers without additional efforts.
Open up for fast servings.

Some of your customers will probably already know which product they want to buy and do not need detailed advice. Especially in busy times it can be helpful to offer them an even faster service and thus have more time for other customers.
The Click & Collect counter is designed to be placed anywhere on the walls of your pharmacy and customers themselves can select the desired product on a touch screen and pay by card. Once the order has been placed, it is directly dispensed to your counter for handover.

The screen also operates a space-saving digital medium for promoting products and offers.
Open up beyond business hours.

The 24/7 dispenser is a vending machine for standard products of the pharmacy, where customers can also shop outside business hours and on Sundays and holidays. The dispenser can be installed either integrated from the outside facade or free-standing and integrates fully into the existing inventory and sales software.
Open up for higher flexibility.

As a single provider, we are able to offer pharmacy and transport solutions from a single source and thus enable a seamless integration.
After the product is transferred from the robot to the transport system, the same software controls its delivery exactly to the receiving terminal in the pharmacy that ordered it. You benefit not only from the time saved by avoiding walking distances, but also from the fact that the transport tubes can be installed at any and multiple locations in your pharmacy, allowing you to implement a more flexible spatial setup.
Open up for intimacy.

Many people feel uncomfortable about addressing health problems and sensitive issues openly to strangers. This is further intensified when there is a feeling of being listened to.
The setup used in many pharmacies, with a long counter and several workstations, often conflicts with the desire for confidentiality, proximity and privacy.

Due to the delocalization of the inventory and the related space increase, the option arises to revise the counter setup in your pharmacy and bring your knowledge in front of the desk. Several consulting islands, as well as the use of a location and device independent software enable you to always stay close to your customers and to create a private atmosphere for them at the same time.

Pharmacy robots in combination with a device independent easy-to-use software that manages storage and stock levels and facilitates ordering processes free up pharmacists' time.

The Open Pharmacy concept for medium-sized pharmacies also includes a technical feature that increases the space on the sales floor in favour of separate consultation points. The storage and dispensing robots can be delocalized and placed in storage rooms, even on different floors. Transport solutions enable the products to be delivered quickly and reliably to the respective consultation station.

The safety function of the previous pharmacy counter becomes obsolete, allowing maximum freedom in interior design.

Advantages

High-density, delocalized inventory management and stock optimization

Pharmacy robots have a significantly lower footprint and at the same time a higher storage density than conventional storage systems. A further advantage of our solutions is that the systems grow with your pharmacy and can be modularly adapted to increased dispensing volumes, for example with a second robot arm. Manual activities away from the patient are reduced, while automation is pushed into the background in the customer's perception by delocalisation.

Facilitates the development from point-of-sales to point-of-care

Your advantage in comparison to e-commerce, that is driven by product sales activities and pricing, is the personal consultation. The Open Pharmacy concept enables you to restructure your pharmacy by using transport solutions in a way that allows you to concentrate more on your advisory function and thus to realise a clear positioning towards the point-of-care.

Flexibility in interior design today and in the future

In previous approaches, the warehouse was always a rigid and inflexible part of the pharmacy space, which also had to be physically separated from the public area. By delocalizing the warehouse, new spatial concepts can be realized, which include new promotion areas as well as consultation hubs.

Ability for customers to decide on the way they want to be served

Many customers are happy to enjoy a more intensive consultation or new health services. However, some customers may visit your pharmacy just to buy a standard product and do not need any advice. The additional space allows you to meet the different needs and also to integrate additional solutions, such as a Click & Collect counter or the 24/7 dispenser, which facilitates pick-ups outside business hours.

Learn more about pharmacy solutions by Swisslog Healthcare and Pharmony

EvoTec

Pharmacy Automation Robot

TwinTec

Pharmacy Stock Automation and Dispensing System

Arrange a meeting or a software demo

Do you have an initial idea for the reorganisation of your pharmacy, are you interested in how an automation process can be implemented or would you like to gain an insight into the functions of our software solutions? Please leave us a message - the right expert for your needs will contact you.