Dr Colucci, why did you decide to introduce a dispensing robot into your pharmacy?
I’d been thinking about it for some time: I wanted to carry on the legacy started exactly 44 years ago by my grandfather, a legacy based on innovation, care for patients and the time dedicated to them. Today, however, I had to adapt all this to the hectic pace of modern life. The dispensing robot has proved to be the ideal solution to our needs, becoming an essential tool for bringing about a real change of pace in the pharmacy and improving our service.
What led you to choose Pharmathek?
My decade-long relationship with Pharmathek’s local sales representative, Camillo Scioti, was decisive. He has always been the one to highlight the values and potential of this technology, and thanks to his support, I’ve managed to turn my dream into reality. Any company can have excellent products, but without the right people in the right places, it will always struggle to stand out. Camillo was the key to making this change possible.
How has work in the pharmacy changed since the dispensing robot was installed?
The dispensing robot has allowed us to free up valuable time to devote to other tasks. Of course, managing the stock flow is essential, but the practical support provided by the automatic loader, combined with the dispensing robot’s precision in delivering products directly to the workstations, has greatly simplified the work at the counter. This offers the pharmacist a unique opportunity: to be able to focus entirely on the customer in front of them, improving the quality of service and attention to patients’ needs.
Do you find the SINTESI dispensing robot easy to use?
Once you’ve learnt the main functions and technical aspects, the dispensing robot becomes very easy to use. It’s helpful to have someone dedicated to operating it, but thanks to its user-friendliness, it can be used by the whole team, provided the necessary precautions are taken. The touchscreen, with its customisable dashboard, is an excellent tool, as are the numerous features that go beyond simply loading, unloading and storing boxes. I find functions such as expiry date checks, tracking the movements of specific products and the ability to see exactly what I have in stock in real time particularly useful.
According to your colleagues, what is SINTESI’s most important function?
Without a doubt, deadline monitoring is a key function, although our warehouse manager would say that the real benefit is ‘the time saved when organising the boxes’. To this I would add the precision with which the dispensing robot carries out every task and its ability to serve all four workbenches simultaneously.
What do you think of the Pharmaload automatic loader?
Massimiliano, our warehouse manager, has put Pharmaload through its paces several times with proper stress tests: the automatic loader has always come out on top. Every machine needs a running-in period, but after over a year of working with Sintesi and the automatic loader, we’re convinced we made the best choice. You just set the delivery note number, drop the boxes in and let it do the rest. This represents a huge added value. Of course, no machine is perfect and there’s always room for improvement, but we’ve had the chance to deal with errors generated by both Euclid3D and Pharmaload, and all of them were resolved quickly and with minimal effort. That’s why it’s important to have a dedicated person who takes full charge of these operations.
Why did you choose to customise the dispensing robot’s appearance?
The dispensing robot doesn’t just have a technical role, but also an architectural one, as it acts as a dividing element between the back-of-house area and the entrance area. For this reason, we opted for partially glazed sides, so that we can show customers and visitors the full capacity and efficiency of our ‘jewel’. It’s a way of showcasing the technology we use, making it visible and an integral part of the pharmacy experience.
Why did you choose to make the dispensing robot visible from the pharmacy entrance?
Paradoxically, many pharmacies have a dispensing robot, but for some reason they keep it hidden. At Farmacia Laera, on the other hand, SINTESI is also an attraction for both adults and children. Along the walkway at the pharmacy entrance, our customers can see and hear the dispensing robot at work. Inside, we’ve created a dedicated viewing area where children, and often adults too, are left open-mouthed as they watch Euclid3D transport the boxes to the various exits.
Based on your experience, would you recommend Pharmathek to your colleagues?
Investing in a dispensing robot for a pharmacy must always be carefully considered and based on well-defined decisions. However, I can say with certainty that I highly recommend it!
Some pharmacists tell us they’ve given their dispensing robot a name. Yours is called Edith, isn’t it? How did you choose that name?
Here at the pharmacy, we’re die-hard film buffs! For the SINTESI dispensing robot, we chose the name that Robert Downey Jr. (aka Tony Stark) uses in the film Spider-Man: Far From Home to refer to the augmented reality system controlled by a simple pair of sunglasses, which he then gives to Peter Parker – ‘Spider-Man’ – to help him in his exploits. It seemed to us to be the perfect name for SINTESI, which quietly helps us with our day-to-day work, even though Massimiliano would like to have voice commands and interact with Edith without touching the screen – perhaps using a simple pair of glasses.
