Increasing demand has now prompted Galliker to further expand its hospital logistics in 2024. The transport, storage and picking of medicines and pharmaceutical products as well as medical devices place the highest demands on safety, reliability and the qualifications of employees. Galliker has been active in healthcare logistics for over 10 years and in hospital logistics since 2020 - during these years, the family business has built up valuable experience and a broad skills base. The combination of state-of-the-art technology, innovative IT systems and vehicles and qualified employees now forms the basis for the development of healthcare expertise, both at the headquarters in Altishofen and at various locations in the national branch network.
Warehouse and logistics relieve hospital staff
The expansion of the healthcare area was clearly the result of increased demand, explains Philipp Galliker, Head of Logistics and member of the Executive Board: "In a hospital, the space should be used in the best possible way for healthcare-related services. This is one of the main reasons why hospitals are increasingly outsourcing their storage space to external service providers and why we are seeing growing interest in our hospital logistics." In addition, the workload of hospital staff is reduced, as they can concentrate more on their actual priority thanks to the external picking and logistics work: personal patient care.
Certifications and traceability create trust
Optimization of internal hospital processes is only possible if the external service providers meet the high safety and reliability requirements, as the handling of medicines is subject to strict regulations. Safety-relevant factors include, for example, binding delivery times, constant availability, closed cold chains, constant traceability of product movements and access control - the existing GDP (Good Distribution Practice) / GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice) certifications show that this is ensured throughout the entire logistics area of Galliker. As part of these certification procedures, compliance with the quality standards prescribed by the industry is regularly checked by Swissmedic.
State-of-the-art IT and validated storage systems
Customers of the Galliker Healthcare division today include around 100 large and small companies from the pharmaceutical sector and, to date, five hospitals, which enjoy complete transparency and maximum reliability - at all GDP-certified locations in the Swiss Galliker branch network. In accordance with GDP guidelines, temperatures are recorded and monitored in these branches, staff receive specific training and validated IT storage systems ensure the traceability of every product from receipt to delivery.
Changes in the market are driving development
Galliker is meeting the increased demand in the market by expanding its storage space at various national Galliker locations and with technical innovations. "In-depth expertise and an expanded infrastructure enable us to respond even more individually to customer requests and create new, needs-oriented solutions," adds Reto Barrer, Head of Healthcare and Food Sales. The targeted relief of hospital staff and the optimized use of hospital space should result from this.