28 September 2023 When we talk about pharmaceutical logistics and cosmetics, we establish a rule where precision, safety, control, and organization cannot be overlooked. After all, the processes of storing and distributing products require assertive decisions, efficient information sharing, and high safety standards to ensure the health and well-being of consumers. Managing inventories with a large number of SKUs is already a real challenge. And, in a context where there is a great demand for batch control and expiration dates, as well as the handling of goods, the difficulties increase. It is necessary to ensure strict inbound control, define the best position for each product (to ensure its integrity), avoid excessive handling of items, perform efficient turnover, activate continuous quality control actions, execute precise and efficient shipping with high traceability, among other requirements. Faced with this scenario, operational managers dealing with medicines and cosmetics must ensure the efficiency of their warehouses, in order to meet health standards, monitor products throughout the receiving, storage, and shipping process, in addition to maintaining safety, product quality, and reducing damages, such as losses and damages. Throughout the entire workflow, it is important to ensure efficiency without losing the reliability of information and records. All actions are directly linked to the brand’s image, and any failure, problem, or noise during the process can compromise the relationship between the company and its customers, as well as open opportunities for sanctions by oversight bodies. So how can pharmaceutical and cosmetic logistics be optimized and adapted to the high level of market demands? To answer this question and assist you, manager, in managing such a solid operation, in this article we will address 7 fundamental features of the WMS system that can optimize processes, ensuring greater productivity, in addition to ensuring maximum control and safety for your warehouse. Look: What is a WMS system? We have previously seen that the WMS can represent a revolutionary tool in the logistics of the pharmaceutical and cosmetic sectors, but, after all, do you know what a WMS system is? The warehouse management system, WMS (Warehouse Management System), is a robust software created to optimize, manage, and organize the processes of a logistics warehouse. This system is a great ally to assist managers in all the strategic planning of the warehouse, in addition to controlling the flow of products, from the moment the goods enter the dock until the moment they leave. In this way, it is possible to organize stocks, distribute tasks to teams, monitor the execution of processes and product movements, ensure high inventory accuracy, and promote intelligent, effective, and productive workflows. Additionally, with the WMS system, the manager can monitor real-time information and order status, allowing for greater autonomy and decision-making precision. How does the WMS help in pharmaceutical and cosmetic logistics? Now that you, the manager, know what a WMS system is, it’s time to learn about the features of this software and how it can help you manage and organize pharmaceutical and cosmetic logistics. 1- Inbound Conferences For a warehouse to function efficiently, from receipt to shipment, it is crucial to ensure that products are checked with maximum rigidity at the dock’s entrance. After all, if the goods do not pass the control, or if they are transported without due attention, major problems can be identified throughout the operation, which interfere with the quality and productivity of the work. In pharmaceutical and cosmetic logistics, there is little attention. Relying on a WMS can, therefore, make a huge difference. The system allows for quick and secure product control. With the blind control feature, employees receive the goods without having access to the invoice. When quantities and other item data are communicated to the WMS, the system automatically consults the records in the ERP, ensuring, among other details, the correct quantity and batch. This control helps avoid errors and, if they occur, quickly recognize them, as the software itself sends notifications. 2- Stock Item Routing Once the product is checked at the warehouse entrance, the next step is to organize and route the items according to their particularities in the warehouse. In general, this function is performed manually, which can make the workflow slow and prone to errors that can compromise product quality and other stages of the supply chain. With the WMS system applied to pharmaceutical and cosmetic logistics, safe storage, integrity, and product safety are guaranteed. Through automatic routing, as soon as a product arrives at the warehouse, the WMS indicates the address where it should be stored, following both the specific storage rules of each item and its rotation. In addition to offering greater speed and accuracy to the storage process, the WMS system leverages every m² of your warehouse, optimizing resources. 3- Batch and Validity Control Among the most important information that deserves the full attention of managers when it comes to pharmaceutical and cosmetic logistics are product expiration dates and batches. Care must be taken and data kept constantly updated, as an expired item distributed in the market can cause a series of problems for the consumer. It is also essential to have batch control so that, in case of a recall for any reason, the company can be agile in the withdrawal. Therefore, it is important that all this information is always at hand. A WMS system can record and update such data daily, allowing real-time monitoring. It is also possible to implement storage rules such as FEFO (First Expire, First Out), FIFO (First In, First Out), and LIFO (Last In, First Out), from the product’s entry to its exit from the warehouse to facilitate the movement of goods, ensuring greater safety, saving money, and avoiding waste of products in stock. It is also worth adding that the WMS offers shelf life control already at entry, setting a limit on the expiration date of received products. The system also sends automatic notifications of expired and expiring products in the warehouse. 4- Quality Control The WMS offers types of cycle inventory that guarantee not only stock accuracy but also effective product quality control. In practice, we have control that starts at entry, remains throughout the period the product stays in the warehouse, and extends until shipment. The system can also be integrated with other devices, such as data collectors, ensuring even more robust and agile monitoring. Another advantage of the WMS is, for example, data security and protection against cybercriminal attacks. Additionally, WMS provides RFID tags, which are tags that use radio frequency to track objects to prevent theft within the warehouse itself. 5- Stock Rotation Stock is what maintains the vitality of any warehouse, as it stores the products that will be sent to the separation and shipping area, turning the wheels of the supply chain. In pharmaceutical and cosmetic logistics, controlling the storage of goods, their information, and movement represents a significant challenge. But with the WMS system, management becomes simpler. Through the system, managers and employees can monitor product expiration dates and their batch numbers, removing a product from stock before it expires and sending it to the customer. It is possible to promote promotions based on information about each product, free up warehouse space to meet new demands, and have autonomy in processes that generate greater profitability without losing service quality. Another important advantage offered by the WMS is the provision of reliable inventory information. The manager can thus track the movement and history of products, identifying the most valued SKUs and moving them to a more strategic position within the warehouse to speed up shipping processes. 6- Reverse Logistics and Traceability Poorly executed reverse logistics can generate enormous losses and high costs for logistics that could be avoided. Thinking about optimizing this process, one of the features of the WMS system applied to pharmaceutical and cosmetic logistics is the ability to quickly track drugs and products that need to be replaced or those that must meet criteria established by Anvisa. In the pharmaceutical and cosmetic logistics sector, batch traceability is mandatory, and the WMS system allows for greater security, timely traceability, and ensures greater safety and reliability for your brand. 7- Stock Replenishment The WMS is capable of establishing merchandise replenishment strategies based on your warehouse parameters. The software itself coordinates replenishment based on previously defined minimum and maximum quantities. Therefore, whenever an area reaches the minimum level, the WMS generates a movement order, ensuring that all positions are adequately replenished. The software automatically schedules and distributes stock replenishment activities based on observed demand needs, keeping stocks always up-to-date, avoiding shortages and low performance as much as possible. Optimize pharmaceutical and cosmetic logistics today In this article, you can better understand the main features of the WMS system and how the software can work in pharmaceutical and cosmetic logistics, in order to make processes optimized and efficient, ensuring reliability and safety for your company. Here at DEAGOR, you will find the WMS system DEAGOR, a solution that adheres to all links in the supply chain, capable of effectively managing the warehouse and ensuring greater productivity and optimizing the workflow in your supply chain. Meet the strict standards of the pharmaceutical and cosmetic industry, manage and organize your stocks safely, provide your customers with safety, speed, and quality, get quick responses to problems and growth opportunities for your business, control logistics and transportation costs in one place. Talk to one of our experts and find out how DEAGOR’s WMS can help you advance strategically in pharmaceutical and cosmetic logistics. DEAGOR is a reference in technology for the sector and has the right solution for your company! How does the WMS system assist in pharmaceutical and cosmetic logistics? Deagor WMS per ecommerce può aiutarti!