The transporters, freight forwarders, and courier express parcel (CEP) service providers in pharmaceutical logistics ensure the supply chains between the pharmaceutical industry, wholesalers, pharmacies, clinics, and patients. Unlike conventional logistics, they must pay special attention to the transparency, availability, and regulatory compliance of their processes. Telematic fleet management systems like BlueLOGICO® support these requirements, enabling companies to unlock previously untapped optimization potential.
Pharmaceutical logistics is a branch of logistics that demands a particularly high level of responsibility and duty from the involved freight forwarders, transporters, and CEP service providers. Depending on their specialization, they must ensure both the general availability of medications and the demand-oriented supply of drugs and remedies to traders, pharmacies, clinics, medical practices, and patients. To meet the requirements for traceability, regulatory compliance, and reliability of delivery and collection processes, more and more pharmaceutical logistics companies are now using modern fleet management systems. It often becomes apparent that software solutions, which can be customized to specific customers and industries and utilize telemetry, offer significant added value. Regardless of the size of a fleet and whether it consists of trucks, vans, or cars, a fleet management system like BlueLOGICO® can significantly simplify all processes related to route planning, order processing, supply chain organization, and more. When applied systematically, initial positive effects such as cost reductions, improved delivery quality, or greater transparency in supply chains quickly become evident. Christian Culik, Sales Manager at the system house TachoEASY, says: "A digital fleet management solution like BlueLOGICO®, with telemetric navigation and tracking functions, enables professional and efficient work organization and proves to be an extremely effective tool for the efficient management of vehicle fleets. Being modular, such a system can be precisely tailored to the customer, significantly enhancing the logistics company's performance."
Functions Ensure Process Transparency
Notable about TachoEASY's system are the numerous functions specifically advantageous for pharmaceutical logistics freight forwarders. With the Live-Dispo module, a BlueLOGICO® dispatcher can immediately detect if a drug delivery is delayed and communicate this directly with the trader or pharmacy. Simultaneously, the system performs ETA (Estimated Time of Arrival) calculations, predicting arrival times while considering breaks, traffic conditions, and other factors. Additionally, route tracking can document whether and how punctually deliveries were made. "These three functions alone enable the logistics service provider to implement a high level of punctuality and supply chain transparency, as well as improve their responsiveness and capability," emphasizes Christian Culik.
Real-Time Functions Ensure Flexibility
The order management feature of BlueLOGICO® also offers great value. It allows dispatchers to manage order planning and control with minimal effort, securely sending all necessary data to the drivers. When using DriverDisplays, orders can be sent directly from the system to drivers' tablets or smartphones. If an additional wholesaler or retailer needs service during the route, the dispatcher can enter this into BlueLOGICO®, and the driver's route is automatically adjusted and optimized in real-time. The order assistant proves to be a highly user-friendly tool, supporting dispatchers with drag & drop functionality for creating new driving orders and delegating them to drivers. All routes, including those from external dispatch systems, can be automatically imported, scheduled, or created via the software interface. "One of the strengths of our FM solution's order management is that it shows the user all current vehicle locations, provides an overview of all ongoing activities, ensures error-free data transfer, and allows the selection of the best route with the most suitable driver for each order," says Christian Culik.
Alarm Function Ensures Security
The security features of BlueLOGICO® are also tailor-made for use in pharmaceutical logistics. The system's telematics boxes can be installed covertly and tamper-proof in the vehicles, and an alarm function can be activated if vehicles are moved outside planned routes. "This can be set up to notify authorized persons directly by email or SMS, helping prevent drug theft," notes Christian Culik.
BlueLOGICO® from TachoEASY is compatible with tachograph data archiving systems like tacholog² (TachoEASY) and zaarc.next (Zauner). Additionally, it features a mobile version for Apple smartphones with the BlueLOGICO®-Mobile App. Available as a multi-user or single-user solution, it offers pharmaceutical logistics companies with small fleets a convenient entry into telemetric fleet management. Order processing, dispatch, and fleet coordination can initially be executed and optimized on a PC, with all vehicle, driver, and route data visualized in graphics, tables, lists, and maps. In more advanced stages, the system can be fed with additional vehicle and driver data via telematics boxes in the vehicles. For pharmaceutical logistics carriers with larger fleets, it may also be beneficial to use features such as driver training and driving style analysis to reduce their operating costs for fuel and fines.
The company TachoEASY, specialized in manufacturing telemetric fleet management systems, is ISO 9001:2015 certified. With BlueLOGICO®, it offers a premium solution that provides pharmaceutical logistics companies ample scope for fleet planning and management, including back-office and service functions that enable rapid implementation of numerous process optimization projects.
