Case Studies > Advanced Cold Storage Logistics for Sensitive Drugs at Roche

Advanced Cold Storage Logistics for Sensitive Drugs at Roche

Company Size

1,000+

Region

Europe

Country

Switzerland

Product

Vectura Cranes
WM 6
SAP

Tech Stack

Material Flow Controller (MFC)
TCP/IP Network (Ethernet)
Automation Technology (SPS)

Implementation Scale

Enterprise-wide Deployment

Impact Metrics

Cost Savings
Customer Satisfaction
Productivity Improvements

Technology Category

Analytics & Modeling - Predictive Analytics
Functional Applications - Remote Monitoring & Control Systems
Functional Applications - Warehouse Management Systems (WMS)

Applicable Industries

Healthcare & Hospitals
Pharmaceuticals

Applicable Functions

Quality Assurance
Warehouse & Inventory Management

Use Cases

Track & Trace of Assets
Warehouse Automation

Services

Software Design & Engineering Services
System Integration
Training

About The Customer

F. Hoffmann-La Roche AG, or Roche for short, is an international pharmaceutical company headquartered in Basel, Switzerland. With more than 90,000 employees, Roche had sales of approximately 48 billion Swiss francs in 2015. This makes Roche one of the world’s largest enterprises of its kind. Roche develops drugs, diagnostic agents and medical devices, focusing on innovations that offer a distinct advantage over products and solutions already on the market. For a number of years, the Swiss pharmaceutical company has been pursuing an ambitious development strategy aimed at further improving its research infrastructure, creating attractive jobs, and sustainably expanding specific locations. This includes the Kaiseraugst location in the Swiss canton of Aargau, a cornerstone of Roche’s international production and logistics network.

The Challenge

The new cold storage warehouse in Kaiseraugst closes a previous logistical gap: In sterile production, which consists of different operations (manufacturing, filling, packaging, shipping) that cannot be completed in immediate succession, the company had been forced to temporarily store products outside the Kaiseraugst campus. This process was inefficient and created extreme challenges for their material handling efforts in light of the need for a closed cold chain. The new cold storage now ensures that all operations can be completed at the same location across short distances, all within the control of Roche – from sterile production to packaging and shipping of injectable and infusible medications via truck and air freight. The warehouse was constructed over the course of two years and went into operation in 2013.

The Solution

F. Hoffmann-La Roche‘s new cold storage logistics in Kaiseraugst essentially consists of an automated high-bay cold storage warehouse with 8,100 pallet locations, which is kept at temperatures between 2 °C and 8 °C. In addition, a deep-freeze warehouse kept at –10 °C offers room for 196 pallets. Both warehouses are largely independent: The cold storage warehouse is for temperature-sensitive pharmaceuticals, the deep-freeze warehouse for refrigerated containers and cooling elements needed for shipping. The cold storage logistics is connected to an annex with four floors (lower level, ground level, first and second upper level). The lower level is connected via a tunnel system to storage areas in production and packaging. The ground level is linked to the receiving and shipping areas with their four loading docks. The first upper level houses bulk picking of entire storage units as well as “pick and pack” for production, packaging and shipping. The deep-freeze warehouse is located on the second upper level. For Hans Reimann, project Lead and Senior project Manager at Roche, the biggest challenges were completing all construction and installation work during ongoing operations as well as coordinating between external and internal distribution centers. Sophisticated planning and systematic implementation made it all possible. Equally difficult was developing constantly new processes which had to be implemented within very short project phases. Designing the cold storage workstations was challenging as well because they had to meet strict ergonomic guidelines.

Operational Impact

The high-bay cold storage is a self-supporting steel silo structure with a height of approximately 29 meters and a volume of more than 40,000 cubic meters. It operates at 2 °C to 8 °C. The roof and wall cladding is attached directly to the supports and roof girders without using additional components. The base plate is 10 meters below ground so that from the outside the structure has a visible height of 20 meters above ground. The cold storage has four aisles for single-deep storage. Storage and retrieval of the 8,100 pallets is fully automated using Vectura cranes from Swisslog. Their clear height is 26.5 meters, and the aisle length is 73.57 meters. Each crane has a maximum load capacity of 1,000 kilograms per storage or retrieval unit. The system can handle approximately 120 in- and outfeeds per hour.
The deep-freeze storage is a channel storage system consisting of a freestanding steel structure. It houses 2 x 10 channels with 5 pallets each and 2 x 8 channels with 6 pallets each. Of the 196 pallet locations, 54 are suitable for weights up to 1.4 tons while the others can handle weights of up to 1 ton. The deep-freeze storage has one aisle. A fully automated multi-depth crane with multiple load handling attachments can access all channels; their ends are equipped with push-through guards. The system can handle approximately 40 in- and outfeeds per hour. For safety reasons, the area is surrounded by a fence with a height of two meters which has four access doors.
The entire storage facility is cooled using recirculating cooling units. Fire safety is ensured through inertization (reducing the oxygen concentration of the air). Air locks and air curtains minimize the temperature and air exchange between the various storage areas. The new high-bay cold storage is separated by reinforced-concrete firewalls from an adjoining warehouse and a building used to transfer stock. A staircase tower attached to the outside facade of the warehouse acts as an escape route from the service platforms for the cooling units and allows roof access for repair and maintenance purposes.
The cold storage has 500 meters of roller and chain conveyors as well as lift tables, step-overs and transfer shuttles. Featuring two independent lift platforms, a vertical elevator with a height of 16.5 meters allows pallets to be transported between the various storage levels. The first upper level houses four picking workstations. They are equipped with lift systems to minimize physical strain on the picking operators. In “pick and pack,” goods are made available at a height that is optimal for each picker. Display screens are easy on the eyes, and there are no sharp edges or clamping or pinch points. In addition, Roche accommodated recommendations from its medical department as well as employee suggestions to improve workstations even further.
In an SAP environment, the new cold storage warehouse at F. Hoffmann-La Roche is controlled by a material flow and warehouse management system (WM 6) implemented by Swisslog and tailored to the customer’s specific requirements. The overall functionality of the system is subdivided into the Material Flow Controller (MFC) and the downstream controllers. The MFC coordinates all transports across subsystems. Automation technology (SPS) controls the process sequences of the conveyor elements. A TCP/IP network (Ethernet) ensures an uninterrupted flow of information between the controllers and the MFC, including visualization. Integrated process control and operation of all transport equipment are the basis for uniform data traffic across all systems.

Quantitative Benefit

The high-bay cold storage warehouse has 8,100 pallet locations.
The deep-freeze warehouse offers room for 196 pallets.
The high-bay cold storage operates at temperatures between 2 °C and 8 °C.
The deep-freeze warehouse is kept at –10 °C.
The system can handle approximately 120 in- and outfeeds per hour for the high-bay cold storage and 40 in- and outfeeds per hour for the deep-freeze storage.