bioMérieux - Case Study

In a post-COVID world where public health challenges are numerous and complex, global in vitro diagnostics-specialist, bioMérieux is seeing its sales grow rapidly. To keep up with demand and plan for future growth—while staying true to its social and environmental values—bioMérieux automated part of its logistics operations. At the International Distribution Centre in Saint-Vulbas, France, the newly installed Exotec^® Skypod^® system stands at the center of bioMérieux’s warehouse logistics. Let’s delve into this innovative development.

About bioMérieux

Founded in 1963, bioMérieux is a global leader in in vitro diagnostics, offering systems, reagents, software, and services for both clinical and industrial applications.

• Clinical diagnostics make up 85% of its business, helping hospitals and labs identify infectious diseases and improve patient care
• Industrial diagnostics account for 15%, providing solutions to detect microorganisms in food and pharmaceutical production chains

With core technologies in microbiology, immunoassays, and molecular biology, bioMérieux operates in 45 countries and distributes products in over 160.

Its global logistics network is anchored by two International Distribution Centers in France and the U.S., which handle storage, order prep, and shipping.

The Challenge

With global demand for diagnostic solutions on the rise, bioMérieux reported rapid sales growth in the first half of 2024, prompting the need for a major logistics upgrade. The company sought to modernize its Saint-Vulbas International Distribution Center to ship up to 5,000 parcels and 400 pallets per day. Key challenges included:

• Optimizing space within its existing 15,000 m² (161,458 ft²) warehouse, without expanding the footprint
• Integrating an automated picking system into a space-constrained layout, without disrupting existing workflows
• Enhancing operational efficiency and employee well-being, by replacing outdated systems and introducing ergonomic, automation-friendly processes
• Maintaining strict temperature control for sensitive medical products throughout storage and distribution
• Reducing environmental impact, by improving energy efficiency and minimizing packaging waste

Boosting Productivity & Throughput

• Goods-to-person robots can retrieve any ordered item in under 2 minutes, helping meet tight order cutoff times
• Two ergonomic picking stations process up to 290 lines per hour with just two employees

Enhancing Flexibility Within a Constrained Facility

• High-density system fits in just 675 m² (7,265 ft²) — less than 1/8 of a football field
• Complies with stringent healthcare standards, ensuring precise tracking of individual items
• Seamlessly connected with inbound and outbound system including carton formers, closers and weight scales implemented by Exotec
• Products stored between 15–25°C are handled by the Skypod system, while those requiring 2–8°C are picked manually — allowing for temperature-specific workflows that seamlessly brought together downstream

Advancing Environmental & Packaging Efficiency

• Mixed-temperature parcel preparation is enabled through shared zones for cold and ambient products
• As part of the Exotec integration, three carton sizes are used during picking and automatically routed to the appropriate prep station, where they are resized and sealed—reducing parcel volume by up to 15%
• Lightweight, energy-efficient robots help lower overall energy consumption, aligning with bioMérieux’s environmental goals

“The strength of the Skypod system is that it has allowed us to invest in the number of robots we need today, not the number of robots we will need tomorrow.”

– Frank Reverdy, IDC 2040 Project Director at bioMérieux