CERP Rouen ensures total logistics traceability with ZetesMedea

Mar 09, 2014 Warehousing Ireland News Comments Off on CERP Rouen ensures total logistics traceability with ZetesMedea

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The wholesale distributor CERP Rouen (Astera Cooperative Group) has re-engineered order picking and permanent inventory processes to comply with new medicine traceability standards, without compromising the productivity required to meet very short delivery timescales. Medicine traceability is fully guaranteed using the Zetes Medea logistics execution solution and its multimodal approach of combining voice and product scanning. Approximately forty sites have been deployed in France and Belgium, with almost one thousand operators working with the solution.

ZetesMedea is a logistics execution system that efficiently drives all warehouse processes. Its goal is to organise processes quickly and flexibly whilst removing errors and reducing costs. ZetesMedea Voice is the solution’s module focused on enabling voice directed processes in the warehouse, mainly for order picking.

Optimising several processes with the same solution
CERP Rouen delivers a collection of over 30,000 items to 6,500 pharmacies, up to three times a day. Depending on the size of the agency, orders are picked on conveyor belts or specific multi-tray, multi-customer trolleys designed specifically by CERP Rouen for this activity.

The voice system guides the operator through the process, indicating which products to pick, and the quantity as in traditional voice order picking, but also advises which elements must be scanned to ensure picking quality and regulatory traceability. This includes the detachable label (containing price information), Datamatrix (containing batch number and expiry date information) and the barcode, identifying the product and its location code.

The solution also simplifies tasks relating to permanent inventory, e.g.paperless operation, safety of traceability data capture via the scan, registration of quantities counted and real time stock updating.

Maximum traceability and operating gains
Prior to introducing ZetesMedea Voice, visual checks were either made using paper based picking or inventory sheets, or with voice alone. Now, product scanning has become an efficient check that provides full traceability. In addition, CERP Rouen has also improved its productivity levels as a result of the system’s greater efficiency, with the least possible disruption for users. The incidence of picking errors has been reduced to 0.07%.

Anne-Claude Mare, CERP Rouen Business Development and Studies Director said: “We had very high requirements, especially in terms of response times and system efficiency; Zetes has met our expectations perfectly by adapting the solution to meet our needs. In addition to traceability, quality and productivity advantages, the solution has a strong business case as a single investment and the same equipment enables several processes, i.e. picking and inventory, to be optimised, with the potential to improve stocking and locating in the future.”

Juan José Martinez, President Zetes Goods ID: “We have worked with CERP Rouen in the past, to implement pilot voice projects within their Belgian operations. We are very proud of being able to support them in responding to new market challenges. A project of this magnitude clearly demonstrates the flexibility and efficiency of ZetesMedea Voice.”

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