Medical Device Daily
A new medical supply and packaging company reports implementing technologies from SAP (Walldorf, Germany) and Ki Solutions (Irvine, California) for the launch of a group of new operations.
Med-Health (Las Vegas), a privately-funded company, says that it will launch three separate businesses – a medical supply distribution business, a pharmaceutical drug wholesale business, and a robotic solid dosage pharmaceutical re-packaging business.
Med-Health said it successfully deployed the Ki4 Wholesale Distribution solution in under 10 weeks to meet "ambitious deadlines" for the launch of its supply business. The company said it requires an IT platform able to support what it calls its "ambitious growth plans and technological innovation," while meeting the specific industry, resource and pricing requirements of an emerging mid-size company.
Sam Haddad, VP of operations for Med-Health, said the fledgling operation required an IT system that could help it manage different aspects of its businesses, including accounting and inventory control.
Haddad said the company first tried to implement a system from another company but was seeing no progress. It then turned to SAP.
"SAP's done a great job — they exceeded everything I expected and in 10 weeks. That's really outstanding," Haddad told Medical Device Daily.
"What we tried to accomplish in four months with another solution, Ki and SAP were able to do in two weeks," Haddad said. "The solution provides us with the out-of-the-box functionality and best practices we needed to make up for lost time and get up and running quickly in the limited time left to meet our goals for receiving product.
"We have begun deployment to support the launch of the pharmaceutical wholesale business and, as we prepare to launch our third business, we look forward to benefiting from the deep industry expertise and accelerated deployment tools offered by SAP and its partners."
The deployment will include an integrated warehouse management system, online B2B store, customer relationship management (CRM) system and compliance capabilities for the FDA's Current Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMP) and 21 CFR Part 11 (Electronic Records & Signatures). The company said it also would leverage the Ki4 Medical Devices solution to support the launch and ongoing growth of the business.
Haddad said Med-Health's supply distribution business would carry things such as gloves, needles and syringes for practitioner groups and surgical centers in Nevada and California. Eventually it will serve customers along the west coast of the U.S., he said.
Haddad said Med-Health offers doctors' offices and surgical centers the opportunity to buy supplies in large quantities. By launching its three businesses, Haddad said Med-Health plans to become a "one-stop-shop" provider.
"We put everything into one umbrella," Haddad said.
Ki4 Wholesale and Distribution is a qualified SAP All-in-One partner solution, the company said, combining proven technology and SAP best practices with micro-vertical industry expertise and support from Ki Solutions, in a package designed for midsize companies.
"The Med-Health companies are the ideal environment for the deployment of our pre-configured, qualified SAP All-in-One partner solutions." said Philippe De Smedt, COO and co-founder of Ki Solutions. "Our SAP Best Practices offerings will enable the Med-Health companies to grow and adapt to market on a scalable technology and with best-in-class processes."
Med-Health said that for its pharmaceutical repackaging business, it will automate the entire process, including robotics and electronic batch records, and it promises to be "the first company in the industry to achieve a 100% automated operation."