SHERIDAN, WYOMING – November 10, 2024 – PSI Engineering, a leading provider of end-to-end pack line solutions, has announced its successful collaboration with Cardinal Health at-Home Solutions to revolutionize their outbound operations through advanced automation technology. This partnership has significantly enhanced Cardinal Health at-Home Solutions' distribution centers, enabling them to meet the growing demand for at-home medical supplies with greater efficiency and speed.
Cardinal Health at-Home Solutions, a division of Cardinal Health, plays a crucial role in providing essential medical supplies and equipment directly to approximately 5 million patients across the United States annually. These patients rely on Cardinal Health at-Home Solutions for critical products to manage chronic and serious medical conditions such as diabetes, incontinence, and more.
As part of a multi-year strategy to modernize its operations and expand warehouse capacity, Cardinal Health at-Home Solutions has partnered with PSI Engineering to implement cutting-edge automation and robotics technology. PSI's automated pack line conveyor system has been integrated into Cardinal Health at-Home Solutions' two newest distribution centers in South Carolina and Ohio and will be a key feature of its upcoming Texas distribution center, scheduled to open in 2025.
"Cardinal Health is distinguishing itself as a pioneer in the industry by adopting the latest pack area automation technologies," said Gary Hughes, Chief Executive Officer of PSI. "We're excited to work with Cardinal Health at-Home Solutions in its continued journey to better serve its customers."
In the Ohio and South Carolina distribution centers, over 750 linear feet of PSI's automated conveyor system efficiently routes nearly 800 boxes per hour through the outbound operations. Five scanners ensure package accuracy and reliability, with more than seven custom variations of label application based on box contents. The Grove City, Ohio facility, opened in 2023, and the Greenville, South Carolina distribution center, opened this summer, have both benefited significantly from this technology.
Furthermore, Cardinal Health at-Home Solutions' planned Texas distribution center, set to open in 2025, will feature nearly 1,500 linear feet of PSI's automated conveyor system. This expanded system will have the capacity to move 1,800 boxes per hour, nearly doubling the capacity of the Ohio and South Carolina facilities.
This advanced conveyor technology will play a vital role in helping Cardinal Health at-Home Solutions meet the increasing demand for at-home medical supplies, enhance outbound operational quality, and adapt to evolving transportation requirements.
"Our journey to transform our supply chain has been laser-focused on incorporating the right automation and robotics that help us meet our customers' needs more efficiently and quickly," said Mike DeSimpelaere, vice president of Network Operations, Cardinal Health at-Home Solutions. "This technology will help us get critical medical supplies to patients faster through stronger, resilient and more efficient warehouse operations. Additionally, the PSI system is scalable, meaning it will be able to support us as we continue our business expansion efforts."
PSI's Pack Line automates the SLAM process (scan, label, apply, and manifest), significantly accelerating the outbound processes at the two facilities.
"Automation in the pack area is often overlooked, yet it is a critical component of the order fulfillment process where bottlenecks and packing errors can hamper production goals," said John Pollock, PSI's Director of Client Solutions. "Cardinal Health has approached their automation strategy with a holistic and comprehensive outlook, and the solutions we've developed reflect this ethos. These lines have automated 10 major touchpoints, including all instances of variable data and document handling, labeling, and sortation—all while working with and within the existing legacy software infrastructure."
PSI's original equipment manufacturer (OEM) machinery is uniquely designed to handle Cardinal Health at-Home Solutions' direct-to-patient distribution model. It can scan unique bar codes on packages moving down the conveyor line and print, fold, and insert corresponding documents into the package. PSI's pack line automation technology then sorts packages to their respective shipping ports.
Integra, PSI's pack line system management software, provides comprehensive visibility into production and inventory health, overall equipment efficiency, and alarm history. Integra seamlessly integrates with Cardinal Health at-Home Solutions' newly implemented warehouse management system platform to ensure an error-free packing process. The conveyor technology also integrates with the distribution centers' robotic fulfillment and on-demand packagi