The German organization of the same name, securPharm e.V., has developed the 'securPharm' system in accordance with the requirements of the EU Falsified Medicines Directive in order to further improve protection against counterfeit medicines in the future. And since GLS Logistik carries prescription and therefore also verification-required articles, TUP developed the interface extension to the host as well as the extension for the existing order interface for the company from Kassel. Both interfaces are now permanently connected to the pharmacy server and thus fulfill the role of pharmaceutical wholesalers.

"The check is carried out by scanning the data matrix code and the resulting comparison with the securPharm system," explains Sebastian Mohn, software developer at TUP and responsible for implementing the securPharm feature. "Firstly, every medicine pack has a so-called Uniqe identifier, which consists of a product code, serial number, batch and expiry date and is printed as a 2D barcode (PPN barcode). Secondly, each pack must be sealed so that it can be determined whether it has already been opened."

Returns verification at goods receipt

In addition to the packaging, GLS Logistik also had to adapt its software processes. For example, there is no specific workstation for adding prescription items to the inventory. They are optionally verified and stored at goods receipt. This also applies to returns. "It is possible to reverse a write-off within the same site within ten days. This means, for example, that returned items can be collected again or medication that was booked out by mistake can be booked back into the system," Sebastian Mohn continues - provided that the end customer did not accept the goods or was not at home. "Together with the GLS managers, we made sure that the existing recording process hardly needed to be adapted - partly because we didn't know anything about the response times of the system in productive operation in advance. The queries to the SecurPharm system therefore run asynchronously, so the GLS WMS does not have to wait for the response from the pharmacy server."

SecurPharm: regulated authentication procedure

The biggest change to the GLS WMS then also concerned the interface to the SecurPharm pharmacy server. Because security-relevant information is exchanged there, a strictly regulated authentication procedure had to be implemented. Every location that is allowed to check out medicines must register and individual security certificates were rolled out. With the help of these, an authentication system first requests a token that is valid for 24 hours. With this token and the respective certificate, access to the pharmacy server is first granted; only then can the aforementioned verifications and checkouts follow.

In order to be able to correctly pick the corresponding order-related bookings, not only was the MDE software adapted to the new requirements; GLS Logistik also opted for new end devices. "The most attractive solution for GLS Logistik was to use new MDE devices right at the start of the project phase," says Fabian Rudolph, Operations Manager at GLS Logistik. "On the one hand, we had to develop the MDE software together with TUP so that we could read 2D barcodes at the end, and on the other hand, the manual entry of the Uniqe identifier was taken into account. In the end, we opted for terminals from Motorola" "And thanks to our supplier network, we were able to provide MDEs with 2D scanner technology in a very short time - an all-inclusive service from TUP, so to speak," concludes Oliver Chimbo, project manager at TUP. But it also had to be done quickly, so the time for implementation was just under two months.