Robust WMS re-shaping the future of Pharmaceutical Supply Chain - BCI Pharmision

 

Why The Pharma Industry Needs a Robust WMS

The global pharmaceutical industry has grown phenomenally over the past decade. This is reasonably so, given the advancement in research and innovation. However, since 2019 there has been a significant impact on this industry due to Covid-19, both on the demand and supply side. Manpower availability and logistics continuity were deeply affected exposing the need for local and regional self-reliance for manufacturing and warehousing. The result of which has been that The World Economic Outlook reported a global growth at 4.4%, considerably lesser by 7% as witnessed in 2019.

However, the Indian numbers for the pharma industry have been buoyant, to say the least. According to FICCI and EY’s Indian Pharmaceutical Industry 2021 report, India is on track to achieve $130BN target sales by 2030, at a CAGR of 12% from 2020-2030. This is much higher than global number predictions. And while India is gunning to become a global supplier of drugs, it is looking to get there by focusing on four key enablers.

Research & Innovation – By not just producing licensed drugs in India, but also actively pursuing research in the field of drugs and testing.

Healthcare access – Actuating deep penetration of healthcare across the country.

Access to medicines – Studying and building globally competitive drug pricing and procurement models so that access to drugs is not blocked.

Strengthening manufacturing and supply base – Decentralizing drug manufacturing and realizing the importance of efficient supply chain and logistics infrastructure.

Manufacturing Encouragement from the Government

India supplies over 60% of global demand for vaccines and over 40% of generic pharma demand in the US. No wonder it’s called the pharmacy of the world. India currently has more than 10,500 manufacturing units across the country, catering to more than 150 countries. To bolster these solid numbers further, the government is encouraging private manufacturers with new schemes and subsidies. The idea is to instill pride of quality in ‘Make in India’.

The offshoot of this nudge is that there will be satellite manufacturing units that will mushroom all over the country. This will, in no way, hamper the manufacturing quality, as stringent testing and manufacturing SOPS will ensure meeting global standards, but where breakage of quality might occur is warehousing and logistics. We know that all through the Supply chain, there is constant and consistent checking and tests. This makes it more crucial to have a seamless and world-class Warehouse Management Software (WMS).

WMS And Its Importance

Supply chains across industries cannot exist without robust warehousing, and this is of utmost significance in the pharma sector. Given its regulations adherence, drugs warehousing must be transparent, error-free, and seamless. Here are some of the other vital strong points of a good Warehouse Management Software.

Inventory Management – Perhaps no other manufacturing industry is as strict and a stickler for manufacturing and expiry date protocol as the pharma industry. And not without reason because its efficacy and people’s lives depend on it. An excellent WMS can track products in the warehouse as per expiry dates and help optimize first-expired-first-out meds.

Temperature Maintenance – Quite often pharmaceuticals must be maintained at constant temperatures. Without a doubt, this must be integrated with a WMS rather than manual operations. Automating climate-controlling can reduce contamination, promptly identify, and inform refrigerator/freezer breakage, and at the same time, optimize energy usage.

Security Concerns – Yes, a good WMS gives you a clear stock of all the inventory at any time in your warehouse. It also details stock coming in and batches going out. However, where it similarly excels is in labeling and vendor tracking. This is of importance when managing spillage and possible theft too. For more information, visit https://www.pharmision.barcodeindia.com/blogs/robust-wms-re-shaping-the-future-of-pharmaceutical-supply-chain/

What are the Duties of a Pharmaceutical Warehouse Management System?

 To ensure that its products are reliably tracked, kept, and dispatched, the pharmaceutical business relies on a network of warehouses or distribution centers. Unloading and unpacking boxes, checking incoming commodities against invoices, maintaining records, and operating equipment are just a few of the responsibilities of the Pharma Warehouse Management staff. In this blog, you will learn about the duties and responsibilities of a warehouse system.

 

Duties of a Warehouse System

➢     Boxes to be unloaded

Manufacturers send product shipments to pharmaceutical warehouses on a regular basis. Workers in warehouses are responsible for greeting delivery vehicles, unloading boxes, and moving them to secure storage areas. This could include performing quality control checks to ensure that products meet specifications and comparing receiving items to invoices to ensure that the correct product was delivered.

➢     Keeping Track of Records

Workers keep track of the products they receive and ship. Serial numbers, the manufacturer's name, and the time and date the package was received must all be precisely recorded. 

➢     Order fulfillment

To pull and complete orders from pharmacies and hospitals, warehouse staff connect with clerks. 

➢     Equipment Utilization

The warehouse staff is responsible for operating forklifts, hand tools, and labeling machines in a safe and efficient manner. They may also be required to keep records on a computer and use cleaning equipment to keep the facility clean. 

What Is a Warehouse Management System?

A warehouse management system (WMS) is a software program that makes warehouse management more efficient to use. A Pharmaceutical Warehouse Management System, for example, can:

●     To conduct demand assessments, anticipate sales, and establish efficient daily operational plans, use data and automation.

●     Provide real-time inventory location and quantity information.

●     To improve the effectiveness of business operations, share data with other ERP modules or standalone software products, such as accounting software and transportation management systems.

●     Monitor and report productivity to have a better picture of how efficiently your warehouse is running and where improvements to warehouse geography and space optimization can be made.

●     Using preset rules, provide step-by-step instructions to guide users through daily tasks such as receiving, picking, and packing orders.

Processes for Pharma Warehouse Management

Six main procedures make up warehouse management.

●     Receiving. Keep track of the products that arrive by checking in and keeping track of them. Make certain you're getting the right quantity, at the right time, and in the right condition.

●     Put-away. Transfer assets from the receiving dock to their proper storage locations.

●     Storage. Safely store and organize inventory so that it can be picked quickly and accurately.

●     Picking. Gather the items required to complete sales orders.

●     Packing. Prepare the things you've chosen for dispatch. They must be safely packed in the right container with an accurate packing slip.

●     Shipping. Send out the finalized sales orders, making sure they're on the proper vehicle, at the right time, and with the necessary paperwork, so clients can get their purchases on time.

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Pharmaceutical warehouse management requires coping with unique issues not found in other businesses. Pharma warehouse management software can assist chief financial officers and warehouse managers in preventing and resolving these challenges, as well as others.