The Australian healthcare supply chain faces immense pressure to manage high-value, temperature-sensitive pharmaceuticals with precision, safety, and efficiency. With strict regulatory requirements and increasing demand, healthcare warehouses must evolve beyond traditional manual processes.
BALYO’s driverless Reach and Very Narrow Aisle (VNA Turret) forklifts provide a scalable, autonomous solution that enhances pallet flow, minimises errors, and optimises warehouse operations. These robots increase storage efficiency by up to 30 per cent by allowing stacking up to 17 metres, reduce labour costs by 80 per cent, and improve inventory accuracy to 99.9 per cent.
The challenge: high-bay storage in healthcare logistics
Pharmaceutical and healthcare warehouses require high-density storage solutions that maintain accuracy, safety, and speed. Manual operations present several challenges:
- Labour Shortages: Finding skilled forklift operators is increasingly difficult in Australia, where labour costs have risen by 15 per cent over the past five years.
- Regulatory Standards: The healthcare industry demands strict adherence to GDP (Good Distribution Practices), with non-compliance penalties exceeding $500,000.
- Space Optimisation: Manual handling often leads to inefficient space usage, reducing potential storage by 20 per cent.
- Product Integrity Risks: Mishandling increases the likelihood of damage and contamination, with annual losses estimated at $250,000 per site.
Given these constraints, automation is key to enhancing efficiency and operational reliability.
The Solution: Automating Healthcare Warehousing
BALYO’s Reach and VNA driverless forklifts integrate seamlessly with Warehouse Management Systems (WMS), ensuring optimal pallet storage and retrieval with minimal human intervention. Warehouses implementing automation have reported a 40 per cent reduction in operational costs.
1. Precision inbound handling
Temperature-sensitive and high-value pharmaceuticals require controlled handling from the moment they arrive at the warehouse. BALYO’s LOWY CB autonomously transports inbound pallets to designated transfer zones, where Reach and VNA robots take over, ensuring:
- Error-free putaway: Automated transport eliminates manual mishandling, reducing error rates from 5 per cent to less than 0.1 per cent.
- End-to-end traceability: Seamless tracking ensures adherence to GDP guidelines, mitigating financial risks.
- Increased throughput: Faster inbound processing improves order fulfilment times by 25 per cent.
2. Maximising high-bay storage with reach and VNA robots
Unlike conventional forklifts, BALYO’s autonomous Reach and VNA robots navigate narrow aisles and lift pallets up to 17 metres, optimising storage while ensuring:
- Damage-free handling: Precision placement reduces losses by up to $200,000 per year.
- Cold chain efficiency: Suitable for sensitive products requiring strict temperature control.
- No major infrastructure changes: These robots adapt to existing layouts, ensuring a rapid return on investment.
3. Continuous replenishment and case picking
With high turnover rates in healthcare storage, constant replenishment is essential. BALYO’s automation ensures:
- FIFO stock rotation: Reduces expired stock by 30 per cent.
- Hybrid order fulfilment: AGVs restock picking zones, cutting walking distances by 40 per cent.
- Reduced downtime: Automated retrieval improves operational efficiency by 20 per cent.
The ROI: a smart investment for healthcare warehouses
Beyond operational improvements, the financial benefits of automation are clear. A typical project with BALYO’s Reach and VNA robots can achieve:
- ROI within 2 years for 3 shift operations.
- Annual savings exceeding $1.2M per site (for a 5-system fleet) through lower labour costs, increased storage capacity, and reduced handling errors. For warehouses using 20+ forklifts, 5-year savings exceed $30M.
- Eliminate forklift-related incidents, enhancing workplace safety and compliance with Australian OH&S regulations.
By increasing storage efficiency, streamlining workflows, and improving safety, autonomous forklifts offer a future-ready solution for healthcare warehousing.
Transforming healthcare logistics in Australia
As healthcare supply chains grow more complex, automation will be essential to maintaining accuracy, safety, and efficiency. BALYO’s driverless forklifts provide a proven solution, enabling Australian warehouses to meet growing demands while upholding the highest standards of operational excellence.
For more information on BALYO’s healthcare warehouse automation solutions, visit BALYO.com.