Of the many sectors in business, healthcare relies heavily on white glove logistics; technical logistics that involve the transportation, handling and installation of highly technical medical equipment. The pandemic has stretched hospitals to their breaking point and without tech logistics, healthcare would not be able to operate, as these technicians are essential.
Final Mile Delivery
This is one of the most common services offered by the leading UK white glove logistics company Rhenus High Tech, which involves taking possession of the equipment at a nearby location, then the white glove team is responsible for the handling, installation and calibration of the equipment. Imagine the difficulty in handling a large and expensive piece of machinery up several floors, down staircases and through narrow corridors. Their job is only done when the equipment is online and ready for use, plus they are on call 24/7, should there be any issues.
Demo Equipment
It is often the case where a hospital wishes to try out a piece of equipment and the white glove logistics company facilitates the installation and also the reverse logistics at the end of the demo period. The hospital Board prefers to test new equipment before committing to a purchase, especially as the cost of an MRI scanner is very high. We are starting to see X-Ray equipment that is managed by AI, which is reported to outperform any human regarding X-Ray diagnosis and this is good news for patients. The same goes for dental equipment, which requires skilled handling, installation and configuration.
Reverse Logistics
When technical equipment needs to be returned to the manufacturer, the technical logistics team is at hand and is tasked with carrying out the disassembly and transportation. This service is often required by hospitals around the UK, mainly when leasing agreements end or there is a serious equipment malfunction. If you would like to learn more about reverse logistics, search with Google for a white glove logistics company that offers the service.
Manufacturer Approved
As you would expect, the manufacturer of equipment such as MRI and CT scanners demands that the product be handled by approved technicians who have attended the courses and passed the examinations. The white glove technician spends a lot of time attending workshops and seminars in order to obtain the required certification; technicians tend to specialise in specific types of equipment and the healthcare sector requires a diverse range of technical devices. Here are a few tips on how to stay healthy if you work a 9-5 job.
24/7 Support
Once a piece of equipment is installed, the technical logistics company would be ready at any time to carry out repairs or maintenance and they would have an ongoing agreement with the OEM to provide essential services. The hospital equipment undergoes heavy use and could require attention at any time, the technical logistics provider can save the day. A maintenance contract might be agreed, whereby the technical logistics company is responsible for scheduled maintenance, which might be renewed for an additional period.
Robotic Surgery
This is a specialised field, with high tech robotic arms that carry out delicate surgery and this equipment must be finely calibrated when installed. This technology is relatively new and we will see more robot assisted surgery in the coming few years.
OEM Certification
The technicians that work with technical medical equipment must have OEM certification and this can only be acquired by attending special courses held by the OEM. Such is the complexity, the technicians stick to specific types of equipment and a national technical logistics company would have many teams on their books.
Types of equipment include the following:
- Medical equipment
- ATMs & other banking equipment
- Digital signage
- Access control systems
- Telecommunications
- Touch-screen vending machines
- Gaming equipment
Quoting for a project
When a hospital requires technical equipment installation, they would contact a white glove logistics provider and ask them to quote for the entire project. The provider would need to survey the site in order to determine exactly what is required and only then can they quote a price.
The Pandemic
Of course, the Covid pandemic has caused the healthcare industry to be stretched to its limits and the support of technical logistics has been tremendous, doing what needs to be done to keep a wide range of medical equipment online to help with the backlog of scheduled treatment. Logistics providers have been working around the clock to ensure that hospitals and doctors have the best equipment and hopefully, we can get back to normal in 2022. The UK government has allocated all of their resources to support the NHS through the pandemic and the technical logistics sector is a critical aspect of the fight against the virus.
The field of healthcare has been supported by the technical logistics sector, which is growing exponentially and the future looks rosy for this industry.