Individual projects » Fleet solution for hospitals

INTRALOGISTICS IN HOSPITAL OPERATIONS

Fleet solution for one of the largest university hospitals in Europe

Individual projects » Fleet solution for hospitals

The University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein (UKSH), with locations at Lübeck and Kiel, is one of the largest university hospitals in Germany and Europe. The demands on intralogistic processes are correspondingly high in order to ensure the supply and disposal of all wards with food, bed linen, sterile goods, medication and more. MLR SYSTEM GmbH was commissioned to implement a comprehensive transport solution for both locations.

Whether sterile goods must be ready in the correct operating room or a patient awaits a fresh, warm lunch: Modern, automated transport solutions have become indispensable in large supply centers such as the UKSH. You pick up roll containers with the transport goods and set them down at the destination – the last few meters to the patient are always done manually by the clinic staff. Up to this point, however, everything follows a strict plan: The automated guided vehicles (AGVs) find their own way from the underground “supply lines” of the clinic buildings to the right building, to the right ward. They open doors, operate elevators, automatically recognize suddenly occurring obstacles and stop reliably, for example when a clinic employee rushes to the patient.

ADAPTATION OF THE PRODUCTS TO SUIT THE LOCATION

Requirements vary from clinic to clinic. The vehicles must be designed accordingly. At the locations in Lübeck and Kiel, AGVs from the Caesar and Phoenix series are used; both are used to hold roll containers, and yet they differ significantly in their functionality. This means that the roll containers used at the Kiel location cannot be accessed. Accordingly, the AGVs must be built in such a way that they can accommodate the containers from above, which requires a completely different construction of the vehicles. "Flexibility in execution is the key to success here," emphasizes project manager Behrens.

GLOBAL PLAYER IN THE HOSPITAL SECTOR

It is precisely this flexibility that MLR stands for as one of the world's leading suppliers of automated transport solutions in the healthcare sector. Added to this is the company's strict commitment to quality: The AGVs used here are made of high-quality stainless steel as standard, if only for reasons of hygiene, which are decisive in the industry. Customers from all over the world appreciate this, the orders range from Germany through Scandinavia, to Singapore, Australia and the Arab region. Manufacturing takes place exclusively in Germany and Europe, where MLR has been cooperating with trustworthy partners for many years.

GROWTH SEGMENT WITH POTENTIAL

A trend towards large medical care centers can be observed in many markets worldwide, which is spurring business with AGVs. The advantages are obvious: Beside the certainty that everything is in the right place at the right time, staff costs can also be saved, or rather, the staff have more time for what’s important: taking care of the patient’s well-being. "But not only the very big ones rely on automated transport solutions", reports Sales Manager Alexander Strauch. "For private clinics, innovative intralogistics is also an image factor that sets you apart from the crowd."

SHOW CASE

Customer: BAM Deutschland AG / Vamed Health Project GmbH / End customer Schleswig-Holstein University Hospital
Project:
Intralogistic transport solution for two clinic companies
Contract volume:
almost 8 million euros (both locations)


Involved group companies:

MLR System GmbH


Project duration:
2016-2018 (Lübeck location);
2017-2020 (Kiel location)

PRODUCTS & PERFORMANCE

UKSH Lübeck

Driving course length: 2,500 m
Load transfer: Materials-handling technology, container storage
Number of vehicles: 36 Caesar PN 0,5 Mr
Control: LogOS
Navigation: Magnet
Load attachment device: Undercarriage tractor with electric lift
Speed: 1.6 m/s
Transported goods: Container
Measurements (L x W x H): 1,490 x 840 x 1,500 mm
Weight: max. 500 kg

UKSH Kiel

Driving course length: 2,500 m
Load transfer: Materials-handling technology, container storage
Number of vehicles: 34 Phoenix R 0.5 Mr
Control: LogOS
Navigation: Magnet
Load attachment device: Fork lift set of wheels
Speed: 1.6 m/s
Transported goods: Container
Measurements (L x W x H): 1,256 x 890 x 1,560 mm
Weight: max. 500 kg