Pharmaceutical & Medical Industry

OVERVIEW

The pharmaceutical and medical industry plays a vital role in public healthcare and consistently demands the highest standards of quality, accuracy, and safety. With the rapid development of biotechnology, personalized medicine, and specialized therapeutic drugs, the industry is becoming increasingly diversified, while its supply chains grow more complex.

In this context, ensuring accuracy, traceability, and strict storage conditions has become a top challenge. To comply with stringent regulations imposed by health authorities and to optimize operational efficiency, pharmaceutical and medical companies are gradually shifting toward intralogistics automation—a solution that enables comprehensive control, connectivity, and optimization across the entire process from storage to distribution.

SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS OF THE PHARMACEUTICAL & MEDICAL INDUSTRY

  • Sensitive products with special storage requirements: Many medicines, vaccines, and medical devices require strict control of temperature, humidity, and light throughout storage and transportation.

  • Batch, expiry date, and serial number management: To meet traceability and quality control requirements, each product must be managed in detail by batch number, manufacturing date, expiration date, and serial number.

  • Compliance with strict regulations: Companies must adhere to GMP, GDP, ISO 13485 standards, as well as regulations issued by the Ministry of Health and international organizations governing pharmaceutical and medical device management.

  • Wide variety of types, sizes, and shapes: From small vials to large cartons, from syringes to medical measurement devices, storage and handling systems must be highly flexible.

  • Ensuring safety and minimizing cross-contamination risks: In medical environments, all operations must ensure absolute hygiene and minimize direct human contact with products.

BENEFITS OF INTRALOGISTICS AUTOMATION

  • Optimized storage conditions: Automated storage systems can integrate temperature, humidity, and light control, ensuring standard-compliant storage conditions for each product type.

  • Fast and accurate traceability: Automation enables item-level management, tracking batches, expiry dates, serial numbers, and movement history of every product.

  • Higher processing speed and reduced errors: Automated systems shorten order processing time, reduce reliance on manual operations, and ensure high accuracy.

  • Improved safety and reduced direct contact: Minimizes cross-contamination risks while ensuring a safer working environment for employees.

  • Easier regulatory compliance: Real-time data integration allows businesses to quickly retrieve information, generate reports, and meet inspection and audit requirements from authorities.

ETEK SOLUTIONS

As a leading intralogistics provider, ETEK Intralogistics delivers customized automation solutions tailored to the specific needs of the pharmaceutical and medical industry:

  • Automated storage systems: Vertical Lift Modules (VLMs) and advanced AS/RS solutions with integrated environmental control, ensuring compliant storage of pharmaceuticals and medical devices.
  • Intelligent material handling systems: Closed-loop conveyors and AGV/AMR systems designed for sterile environments, reducing human contact and optimizing material flow.
  • Automated packaging and sorting solutions: Ensure order accuracy, fast batch/expiry-based sorting, and compliant packaging under strict hygiene standards.
  • Warehouse Management Software (WMS): Seamlessly integrated with ERP/MES systems to control inventory, batch numbers, and expiry dates in real time, enabling fast verification and reconciliation.