Our client needed an application for logistics and warehousing that would help to effectively manage the flow of the parcels with medical components from the internal warehouse to hospital wards.
There were several situations identified as obstacles in the staff work.
Firstly, people involved in the delivery process did not exactly know where the parcel was currently located, at what stage it was, and what the expected delivery time was. As a result, the logistics department employees, responsible for shipments, received several inquiries a day from employees asking if the ordered materials had already left the warehouse, and if so, what their delivery time was. The hospital warehouse delivers and collects approximately 140 parcels per day.
Secondly, traditional shipment management comes with a risk that the parcels might get lost or be sent to the wrong branch.
Lastly, all delivery documents were transferred on paper. Creating them, signing them, keeping records, and reporting was very time-consuming.
Our client needed a solution that would speed up and simplify the process of issuing parcels to the recipients, and at the same time enable certain people to track parcels, and register delays and incidents that occurred throughout the delivery.
After an in-depth analysis of the client’s needs, we created the e-Courier system: a mobile and web application.
Its implementation answered the three aforementioned problematic situations in the everyday work of hospital employees:
The app provides real-time access to parcel status information. People involved in the process know if the shipment is released from the warehouse, they know about the estimated delivery time, and even about the delayed, successfully delivered, inspected, withdrawn shipments, etc.
Creating and using barcodes reduces the risk of human error. Scanning the code of each shipment takes place at the stage of the issue and transfer for transport, and the app shows it right away. Parcel tracking helps to correctly identify the moment and place in which it has been lost, and the pickup is confirmed by using a personal identifier (LDAP). Thanks to this, there is no doubt who participated in the parcel delivery process, as well as whether they are authorized to collect, and when and where they did so.
The warehouse and logistics management system allows issuing and collecting parcels after scanning the barcodes. All information is stored electronically, which eliminates paper consumption and helps to generate reports and statistics for managers.
The database enables the system to store orders or ward data and collect valuable statistics. The system works with a barcode label printer. That functionality makes it a whole lot easier to mark the parcels.
The app we created makes a great improvement to the hospital’s processes. From the user perspective, the e-Courier app enables the:
Creating the app using a technology that allows its further development is another advantage of this solution. UCK will be able to modify the system according to current needs or requirements in practically any way in the future. For now, the app tracks the dressing materials’ deliveries. One day it can be extended to tracking the medicines’ deliveries feature. This would require tightening the rules of collecting such parcels. The current functionalities allow for the making of fast improvements.
We asked Solwit for their support in creating a system that would meet our needs and improve the parcel flow process. Solwit provided us with technologies that will allow us to adapt the system to our emerging requirements or processes in the future, as well as to scale it depending on our needs. In addition, the UI design, graphic, and interface development for our application, both in the mobile and web version, were on Solwit’s side. The Solwit team presented great commitment and the advanced skills needed to implement the project. They perfectly identified our business needs and indicated key stages of the process, which needed to be taken care of in particular during the project. The team also prepared complete project documentation. The work results during the following stages were delivered on time.
Joanna Nowak, Head of the Medical Supply Department, UCK
Tell us exactly what you need.
Let's set the priorities and the order in which your software's functionalities / features / changes will be implemented.
What is the estimated timeframe for when you need to have your solution ready?