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Antares is a pharmaceutical distribution center and pharmacy network in Hamburg (Germany), combining retail, compounding production, and logistics services for clinics. The Hamburg facility serves as a critical hub, where delivery speed and order accuracy directly affect patient care.
Rising order volumes alongside tightening pharmacy regulatory requirements exposed limitations in manual and semi-automated processes. The objective was to transition to a fully automated warehouse environment capable of sustaining high throughput while ensuring consistently error-free order fulfillment.
The logistics automation (Hamburg, Germany) was realized in partnership with BD Rowa™ as the system lead partner, with KAPELOU responsible for material flow integration and supporting automation systems.
The implemented system is built around WMS-driven orchestration, conveyor-based material flow, and robotic picking, forming a continuous and fully controlled process from order release to shipment preparation. The solution ensures predictable performance under load while maintaining full process transparency.
Key functional elements:
- process orchestration: the WMS prioritizes orders and generates picking tasks based on delivery routes and dispatch schedules, reducing idle time and eliminating sequencing conflicts;
- stabilized material flow: automated tote destacker (up to 500 boxes/hour) ensures uninterrupted supply of boxes, removing a common bottleneck in high-load pharmacy intralogistics;
- end-to-end traceability: each tote is uniquely identified and tracked across the system, enabling full process visibility and compliance with pharmacy standards;
- robotic picking integration: seamless interaction with 4 BD Rowa™ Vmax pharmacy robots ensures high-precision, repeatable picking with minimal error risk;
- in-line verification: integrated weight control detects discrepancies before dispatch, preventing downstream errors and returns;
- automated final stage of packing: orders are completed through a fully automated sequence including documentation printing, lid application, and strapping – ensuring consistency and transport security.
Equipment & Technologies
The solution was developed through joint engineering alignment between BD Rowa™, KAPELOU, and the Antares team, ensuring synchronization between robotic picking and material flow under real operational constraints.
The implemented solution brings together all key technologies:
- Vmax pharmacy robots;
- powered and gravity roller conveyors;
- diverter and lift-up transfer module;
- tote destacker;
- barcode scanning system;
- label printing system;
- lid application manipulator;
- strapping machine.
Result. The warehouse automation (Germany) delivers measurable operational gains while creating a stable foundation for further scaling:
- throughput: up to 200 orders/hour;
- overcoming warehouse labor shortage through automation of critical processes;
- consistent picking accuracy enabled by robotic handling and in-line verification;
- stable high-load performance ensured by continuous tote supply and synchronized flow;
- observed reduction in consumable usage through automated strapping;
- warehouse automation ROI: 3 years.
The case study was delivered in close collaboration between BD Rowa™, KAPELOU, and the Antares team, ensuring smooth coordination at every stage.
For Antares, the case study enabled a transition from fragmented warehouse processes to a synchronized, high-throughput operation capable of meeting growing demand in healthcare distribution.
Looking to scale your warehouse operations with precision and reliability? KAPELOU designs and delivers pharmaceutical logistics automation tailored to your business.
Labor shortages in pharmaceutical warehousing are effectively addressed by reducing reliance on manual operations. Automating the transportation, sorting, picking, and order consolidation processes allows for 24/7 operational efficiency. Staff are transitioned from repetitive, manual tasks to process-monitoring roles. Automated equipment maintains consistent throughput even during periods of workforce scarcity, significantly reducing the need for additional headcount while improving workplace ergonomics and minimizing physical strain on warehouse employees.
Achieving high order accuracy in the pharmaceutical sector is realized through the pharma warehouse automation of picking, material handling, and outbound verification processes. Optimizing warehouse operations under labor constraints minimizes manual intervention, ensuring consistent fulfillment quality for pharmacy networks. The integration of specialized pharmaceutical error-free order fulfilment systems for unit picking, automated product identification equipment, and built-in verification modules minimizes the risk of human error, substantially enhancing end-to-end process traceability in full compliance with pharmaceutical standards GDP (Good Distribution Practice).
