Source: Deutsche Nachrichten
A medicine is shown as available in the system but cannot be found in its designated storage location. Larger quantities of another product remain on the shelves even though demand is declining. At the same time, several packs are approaching their expiry dates. Situations like these show why stock figures alone are no longer enough to manage a modern pharmacy stockroom effectively.
To manage pharmacy stock intelligently, three levels need to be considered together: What is currently in stock? How is that stock moving? And how is demand likely to develop?
COSYS Pharmacy Software provides the operational data foundation for this. Goods receipts, put-away, stock withdrawals, transfers, returns and stock adjustments are recorded digitally. Expiry dates, batch numbers and serial numbers can also be captured and incorporated into stock management.
Stock Figures Need Context
Having 500 packs in stock tells you relatively little on its own. What matters is how quickly they are required, how long they have already been stored and whether consumption patterns are changing.
This is where modern inventory management goes beyond a conventional stock overview. The COSYS WebDesk brings together the warehouse and movement data recorded throughout day-to-day operations. Business Intelligence can use this information to highlight, for example, which products move particularly frequently, which storage locations are being used inefficiently or where recurring stock discrepancies occur.
For pharmacy managers, stockroom teams and larger pharmacy organisations, this provides a much stronger basis for decision-making. Instead of simply reacting to the current stock level, they can understand why it has developed in a particular way.
Identify Expiry Risks Before They Become Critical
Medicines add another dimension to inventory management. A pack may physically be in stock but become increasingly problematic as its expiry date approaches.
Digital expiry-date and batch recording makes it possible to monitor these stocks systematically. Potentially critical products can be identified at an early stage. This creates the basis for prioritising certain stock or, within suitable multi-branch pharmacy structures, considering a stock transfer before products remain unused for too long.
This is particularly relevant for pharmacy groups. A slow-moving product at branch A may be in much greater demand at branch B. Visibility across multiple stock locations will not automatically eliminate excess inventory, but it reveals possible actions before medicines remain on the shelf unnecessarily.
Forecasting Turns Historical Data into Forward Planning
Inventory management becomes even more valuable when it looks beyond current and historical figures. COSYS Forecasting can analyse withdrawal patterns, delivery cycles, historical processes and seasonal trends to estimate future stock requirements.
This can reveal, for example, that demand for a particular product regularly increases or that a potential stock shortage is developing. Conversely, stock trends indicating possible overstocking can also be identified.
For online pharmacies and larger pharmacy groups, this approach becomes particularly relevant. Even small improvements in stock planning can have a significant impact on storage capacity and working capital when thousands of products and large numbers of stock movements are involved.
When the Stock Is Right but the Process Is Wrong
Not every stock discrepancy is caused by an incorrect order. Sometimes the underlying problem is the process itself: goods are booked in too late, an internal transfer is not completed correctly or a stock adjustment takes place at an unexpected point in the workflow.
This is where Process Mining can help. The process data generated by COSYS makes it possible to examine actual workflows and identify deviations from the intended flow of goods. The question therefore shifts from “Why is our stock wrong again?” to “At which process step do these discrepancies keep occurring?”
From Counting Stock to Understanding It
Intelligent inventory management is not about collecting as much data as possible. It is about turning goods receipts, withdrawals, expiry dates, batches, transfers and stocktakes into a reliable picture of the pharmacy stockroom.
COSYS combines mobile data capture and pharmacy software with WebDesk, Business Intelligence, Process Mining and Forecasting. Professional mobile data capture hardware and services can be added as required. Existing pharmacy management and ERP systems can be connected via interfaces, creating an additional analytical and process layer around the actual flow of goods.
Would you like to test stock and warehouse processes for yourself? Download the free COSYS demo apps from the Google Play Store or Apple App Store and try selected functions directly on your smartphone.