Medline (Nasdaq: MDLN) has signed a strategic agreement to add “next-generation warehouse automation” from Symbotic, described as a leader in artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled robotics technology.
This latest news is “part of the company’s ongoing efforts to strengthen the resiliency, efficiency and scalability of the health care supply chain,” the company said in an April 16 news announcement. “Medline is the first health care company to deploy this technology.”
Symbotic’s AI-powered platform “automates picking, storage and retrieval of items for distribution,” the Medline announcement added. “Widely used across multiple complex industries, including large scale retail and consumer goods companies, the technology uses intelligent, autonomous robots to depalletize and singulate inbound full pallets, store and retrieve items, and build orders into smart outbound pallets mapped to the needs and layouts of downstream recipients, helping to drive faster and more efficient operations.”
“Our vertically integrated solution of manufacturing and distributing products to all points of care is unique among health care suppliers,” said Sean Halligan, Medline’s chief supply chain officer. “Medline’s strategic investment in this technology will help us provide even more efficiency for our customers and help them meet their operational, clinical and financial goals.”
The new technology is expected to debut at one of Medline’s United States distribution centers in 2027. Medline operates 45 distribution centers nationwide.
“We are proud to partner with Medline, the largest provider of medical-surgical products and supply chain solutions, on the next step in its transformation,” said Mike Dunn, Symbotic’s chief customer officer. “Given the importance of accuracy, speed and cost in this space, this agreement is a great validation of the power of the Symbotic System, and of our commitment to reimagining the supply chain and transforming the movement of goods through intelligent automation.”
