Materials handling in hospitals: An analysis of how the storage and materials handling system can be improved, using the example of Hospital Santa Maria

A Work Project, presented as part of the requirements for the Award of a Masters Degree in Management from the NOVA – School of Business and Economics

Warehousing costs and especially order picking costs account for a considerable amount of total logistics costs, what leads to the purpose of this paper which is to elaborate means by which the materials handling process of hospitals can be improved. A detailed analysis of the material storage and picking process at Hospital Santa Maria is carried out in order to demonstrate best practices as well as main limitations for which solutions are developed. The findings are that the introduction of within-aisle storage, electric foldable picking vehicles and pick-by-voice system in combination with the Japanese concept Kaizen can improve warehouse operations drastically.