4. Pharmaceutical Warehousing 4.0 in Healthcare Supply Chain

Over the last decade, many countries have suffered from supply chain disruptions for different products because of the ever-increasing global problems with devastating financial and social consequences. In response, most companies revisit their just-in-case supply chain strategies and shift them to just-in-case models. As a result, warehouses acting as barriers to unexpected circumstances have become more crucial than ever in human history. Apparently, warehousing plays an essential role in any industry but a critical role in health care because of the possible results of any instability and lateness in pharmaceutical deliveries. Different from conventional warehouses, thousands of pharmaceuticals are received, stored, and preserved in pharmaceutical warehouses (pharmahouses) under special storage, handling, temperature, ventilation, and lighting conditions. Moreover, with the increasing older population and chronological or pandemic diseases, thousands of pharmaceuticals are delivered daily to patients, healthcare providers, or pharmacies. Therefore, recent technological advancements are continuously adopted by pharmahouses to cope with the ever-increasing conditions and demand. This chapter presents the history of pharmahouses and their transformation from primitive cellars or storerooms to intelligent facilities.