More than plasters and bandages

Hospital and medical supplies are trading under special conditions. Customers are clinics, doctors' surgeries, care facilities and pharmacies — customers whose needs are non-negotiable. The ability to deliver is not a key figure here, but security of supply. Business software in this environment has to do two things at the same time: the efficiency of a wholesale system and the evidence of a regulated industry.

Medical devices are subject to strict requirements for labeling and traceability. Batches and serial numbers must be fully documented all the way to the recipient, expiration dates must be actively monitored, and UDI markings must be kept clean in the article master. In the event of a recall, it is not the question of whether the information is available, but how quickly it can be retrieved. An ERP must therefore map this chain end-to-end — from goods receipt to picking and delivery.

The product range spans from disposable items to high-priced implants, with correspondingly different storage conditions: cold chain, sterile goods, high-value parts with individual proof. In addition, there are consignment storages directly at the customer's premises, which need to be managed and billed. Without mobile workflows and real-time booking, such a warehouse is unmanageable — and a cut-off date inventory that halts utility operations is not an option.

On the sales side, framework agreements, tenders and customer-specific conditions dominate. Hospital administrations order electronically and expect counterparts that process GS1 standards and EDIFACT messages cleanly. The fewer manual interventions are necessary in the ordering and invoicing process, the more resilient the entire process becomes.

After all, the industry thrives on long-term relationships. Field service and practice support need a common database, B2B shops need more than price and image: approval documents, instructions for use, technical data sheets are part of the product.

Why MD-Premium should be your choice.

• Seamless supply chain: MD-Premium gives you a consolidated overall picture of the supply chain of your products. The system manages both batch and serial numbers, from supplier to customer. You always know who delivered a product and to whom it was sold. With MD-Premium, targeted recalls and seamless monitoring of the best-before date are no problem. If your customers or suppliers have their own article numbers, these are linked to MD-Premium, so that a transparent and consistent order chain is created from the supplier to the customer. Special data points that are crucial for the trade in medical devices (e.g. UDI number, HIBC) are supported by the system throughout. If required, the article master can be expanded in addition, customer-specific data fields.
• Ability to deliver guaranteed: The availability of medical products is often life-saving. MD-Premium offers a number of powerful tools to ensure the ability to deliver these important products. The range extends from automatic supplier orders and warehouse rebookings, order-related supplier orders (e.g. for ship-through items), periodic orders, searchable order histories or automated, AI-supported order creation for orders via e-mail. Consignment stocks are of great importance in the medical sector because they ensure short-term availability due to the physical proximity to the customer. MD-Premium supports both the concept of a consignment warehouse and different methods of picking logging (scanner, customer portal).
• Everything in stock: MD-Premium has your warehouse management under control. The system is capable of static as well as chaotic warehouse management, as well as the assignment of special storage locations (e.g. cold storage) for corresponding products. Inventory information is calculated in real time, including planned withdrawals through order reservations or increases through planned productions or deliveries. The system can manage different types of warehouses, including picking warehouses, deposit warehouses and the aforementioned consignment warehouses. The Warehouse Management Module (WMS) is fully geared towards mobile workflows. With the help of Android-based scanners, such as the Zebra MC3300x, bar and QR codes can be conveniently read and integrated into corresponding workflows in real time. The WMS supports mobile goods receipt recording, warehouse reposting and picking of customer orders, as well as mobile recording of inventory data. Thanks to the flexible approach of a mobile inventory, the WMS allows ongoing inventories to be carried out, which are much easier to integrate into everyday business than conventional cut-off date inventories.
• Digitized ordering processes: Thanks to a complete EDIFACT interface, communication with customers and suppliers is largely digital. This improves process quality, reduces throughput times and eliminates potential sources of error. If you combine this full digitization with tailor-made automatisms in the system, you get a no-touch ordering process where human intervention is only necessary in the event of an error. Customers for whom EDIFACT is not economically viable can use the integrated B2B webshop. The AI-supported order system interprets and processes orders by e-mail reliably and fully automatically.
• Product information included: The MD-Premium article master offers a wide range of options for providing an article with various product information. Product descriptions, features, images and product documents can be stored in MD-Premium and made available to participating systems such as B2B shops or partner websites. Thanks to this integrated product information management, the use of expensive additional software is not necessary. Documents stored in the ERP can optionally also be made accessible worldwide via S3 storage and CDNs.