IU Health Breaks Ground on Logistics Center
Subscriber Benefit
As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowIndiana University Health has broken ground on an integrated service center in Plainfield. The network says the center, which will contain a robotically-controlled picking system, will help lower costs by about $3 million per year.
IU Health says the automated picking system will tie into other advanced logistics processes that will improve the distribution of critical medical supplies to its statewide system of hospitals and other medical facilities. The facility is part of the system’s new logistics plan, which includes standardizing inventory, ordering in bulk, streamlining delivery and improving product return and restocking efficiency.
Vice President of Supply Chain Operations Dennis Mullins says the project will "fundamentally change" the way IU Health handles supplies for its entire network. In a release, he said, "This will be much more than a best-of-breed hospital warehouse. This will be a fully integrated service center that leverages proven supply chain technology so we can do our part in improving the way healthcare is delivered."
The integrated service center is expected to open in the second quarter of 2017.