With around 3,000 pharmacies, an online platform with more than 1 million customers, and over 2 million items sold daily, the Dr. Max Group is one of Europe's leading pharmaceutical chains. Since February, the entire Italian market has been supplied from the new distribution center, thanks to SSI Schäfer and AMR provider Geekplus.
Dr. Max not only sells medications but also offers a range of health and beauty products, from nutritional supplements to cosmetics. The extensive product range alone presents significant logistical challenges. But that's not all: Demand in the online shop is increasing rapidly. In 2023, Dr. Max achieved a remarkable 55% increase in e-commerce revenue compared to the previous year.
With the aim of ensuring the fastest possible deliveries throughout Italy – either via home delivery or click & collect pickup at pharmacies – Dr. Max has decided to build a warehouse in Telgate (Bergamo) specializing in pharmaceutical and cosmetics e-commerce fulfillment. This will not only guarantee efficient processes and a seamless supply chain, but also pave the way for future growth: With the acquisition of Neo Apotek SpA, the number of pharmacies supplied by Dr. Max in Italy has grown to over 210 branches. Future expansions will allow the new warehouse to gradually handle pharmacy deliveries in addition to e-commerce orders.
Photos: SSI Schäfer
Dr. Max selected SSI Schäfer as the general contractor and Geekplus as the partner for robotics technology, combining maximum logistics expertise into a high-level solution at the new warehouse in Italy. This allows even the vast number of items with diverse order structures for multiple channels to be stored, picked, and shipped smoothly. Minimal lead times ensure fast delivery, sometimes even on the same day.
From automated order initiation and picking directly into cartons to automated shipping preparation including volume reduction and carton sealing, the integration of diverse components meets all the requirements of high-performance e-commerce fulfillment. The overall concept has not only impressed Dr. Max in Italy – SSI Schäfer and Geekplus have already successfully rolled out their smart logistics solution together at several European locations of the pharmaceutical chain.
A customized end-to-end concept was developed for Dr. Max and implemented within just a few weeks. In addition to pallet racking, conveyor technology, handling systems, and other hardware, the software for controlling all components and processes in the new warehouse also comes from the intralogistics expert.
SSI Schäfer's integrated Warehouse Management System (WMS) enables real-time monitoring, automation of repetitive processes, and dynamic management of storage location assignments. "Through our collaboration with Geekplus, we were able to implement a concept for Dr. Max that sets new standards and can be flexibly deployed at other locations," says Oleg Rak, Project Manager at SSI Schäfer.
Geekplus, the global provider of autonomous mobile robot (AMR) technologies, combines its so-called "tote-to-person" solution at its Telgate site with a shuttle robot that reaches a height of 8 meters for double-deep bin storage, maximizing vertical storage space utilization, and a fulfillment robot for rapid order processing based on the goods-to-person principle. "The interaction of our robots with the components from SSI Schäfer offers Dr. Max a wide range of possibilities. If requirements change, the system can be individually adapted at any time," explains Wayne Tai, Channel Partner Manager for EMEA at Geekplus.
