X2
Throughput
20/Minute
Orders Processed
Lower
Hiring Costs
Fewer
Documentation Errors
The Challenge: Double Throughput, Eliminate Human Error, and Improve Accuracy
A medical supplies company was shipping out thousands of medical devices and products every day to hospitals across the country, but its manual fulfillment process was reaching its limits. Management wanted to double throughput from 10 to 20 orders per minute while reducing errors and making better use of its existing workforce.
The challenge was particularly significant because each shipment required order-specific documentation, including product information, patient IDs, destination hospital details, and, in some cases, up to three pages of operating instructions.
When the Wrong Document Can Delay Care
In the medical field, having the proper documentation accompany the products is key. If the wrong documentation is included in the order, it could delay medical procedures or critical monitoring because supplies cannot be reconciled with the needs of the scheduled appointments. With such high stakes, the automation project needed to include a print-on-demand solution to ensure the correct documents were inserted into the correct orders, without adding another manual step to the process.
A Growing Labor Challenge
The company’s manual fulfillment process also placed significant demands on its workforce. Ten pack lines required five operators per line, while high turnover and a labor shortage continued to drive hiring costs upward.
Automation offered an opportunity to increase capacity without scaling headcount at the same rate.
The Solution: On-Demand Printing With Built-In Verification
The system integrator engaged to design the full solution brought PSI onto the project, knowing our machines could meet the customer’s needs. PSI’s solutions team worked with the integrator and customer to evaluate the application and select the appropriate technology.
PSI’s AutoFeed was tested and installed at the customer’s facility. The system printed documents on demand, and the built-in verification ensured the correct documents were included in the open-box orders.
For devices shipped in their original packaging, PSI added an AutoDoc on another line so the documentation could be printed, pouched, and applied to the top of the already closed, original pack container. The same verification system was in place to confirm that the correct documents were included with the correct order.
If a mismatch was detected on either line, the package was automatically diverted to a reject lane for correction.
20 Orders Per Minute With Fewer Manual Touchpoints
The automated documentation processes achieved the company’s target throughput of 20 orders per minute while significantly reducing the time spent correcting documentation errors.
The operators previously assigned to documentation were moved upstream to support other parts of the fulfillment process.
The result was:
- 2X throughput, increasing from 10 to 20 orders per minute
- Significantly fewer documentation errors
- Reduced time spent on error correction
- Better utilization of existing labor
- Lower hiring costs
- Greater capacity to support future order volume
A More Reliable Way to Handle Critical Documentation
By automating document printing and verification, the company transformed a labor-intensive step into a controlled, verifiable process. The solution gave the medical device company the capacity to handle higher volumes while helping ensure the right documentation stayed with the right order.
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