Cardinal at-Home’s Texas Distribution Center to Feature PSI Engineering Conveyor Automation
Cardinal at-Home Solutions’ new Texas distribution center will feature PSI Engineering’s automated pack line conveyor system, a key component of Cardinal’s “multi-year strategy to increase warehouse capacity and modernize operations through automation and robotics technology,” the company said in an Oct. 15 press release.
PSI Engineering, based in Mississauga, Ontario, has already provided automated conveyor technology used in at-Home Solutions’ Ohio and South Carolina distribution centers. The Texas facility, due to open in 2025, will have the capacity to move 1,800 boxes per hour — almost double the capacity of the Ohio and South Carolina facilities.
“Our journey to transform our supply chain has been laser focused on incorporating the right automation and robotics that help us meet our customers’ needs more efficiently and quickly,” said Mike DeSimpelaere, vice president of network operations for at-Home Solutions. “This technology will help us get critical medical supplies to patients faster through stronger, resilient and more efficient warehouse operations. Additionally, the PSI system is scalable, meaning it will be able to support us as we continue our business expansion efforts.”
Medline, Microsoft Team Up to Improve Health-Care Supply Chain Operations
Medline is partnering with Microsoft to tackle the “complex supply chain challenges facing today’s health-care professionals.”
In an Oct. 16 press release, Medline said the two companies “are designing an innovative health-care supply chain resiliency solution built on Microsoft 365 and powered by Azure AI that is easy to navigate, predictive and secure. The solution will aim to leverage Ai-generated insights to save time, headaches and hassle while eliminating onerous technology implementation through integrated inventory management.”
“Health care today is dealing with a crisis of complexity, and Medline exists to make health care run better,” Medline CEO Jim Boyle said in the announcement. “In Microsoft, we see a partner who can help us power better-informed actions at a lower cost for our customers. This win-win will revolutionize the way we ensure a resilient health-care supply chain.”
Among the goals of the collaboration are combining customer and supplier data to provide “actionable, predictive recommendations for supply chain professionals” and avoiding “expensive, resource-heavy implementations for new technology platforms” by using the Microsoft 365 suite.