Sigma selected the Dematic GTP Picking Solution for its two new DCs

As part of its network optimisation strategy to increase its competitiveness in the pharmaceutical industry, leading Australian pharmaceutical wholesaler Sigma Healthcare has automated operations at its new Perth and Brisbane distribution centres (DCs) with the Dematic Goods-to-Person (GTP) Picking Solution.

Sigma selected the fully automated Dematic solution as the central system to improve operational efficiencies at its two new DCs. Sigma's switch to automation stemmed from previous supply chain challenges experienced with legacy systems deployed at other DCs, which were restricting the ability to continue to improve service delivery to customers.

"Warehouse and logistics have been an area of significant focus for Sigma over the past three years. With the pharmaceutical market as competitive as it is in Australia, it was clear that we needed to optimise these two new DCs to accommodate current and future demands on our supply chain," says Paul Brown, national operations manager, logistics, Sigma.

The system is an automated picking and buffering sequence solution, meaning orders are picked, buffered, and then sequenced to delivery vehicles in the specific order required. For Sigma, this process works to optimise the entire picking and delivery process by organising orders accurately and efficiently, and at a much faster rate than manual operations.

Through the deployment of the Dematic GTP Solution, Sigma has subsequently made significant progress to its initiated business transformation program, which aims to deliver AUD100+ million in efficiency gains by the end of the 2021 financial year.