customer profile
Aretex Group is a consulting company for the pharmaceutical industry, based in the United Kingdom. Through market monitoring and price optimisation, Aretex helps pharmacies to reduce their purchasing costs for prescription drugs. They stock these prescription medications in a warehouse before distributing them to various pharmacies in different locations.
challenge
Too Many Spreadsheets, Too Many Errors
Aretex were relying heavily on spreadsheets for inventory management solutions. At any one time, there could be up to 40 spreadsheets in use. These spreadsheets were used to track 5000 different medicines, multiple pharmacies, and frequently-changing prices that often differed between pharmacies.
As a result, it was difficult for their employees to keep track of all the different streams of information. It was a real challenge to avoid duplicated or incorrect data. Because everyone had to check that the information was up-to-date and no one could work on the same files at the same time due to conflict errors, it was impossible to achieve any real efficiency.
solution
A Simple but Effective Solution
Ninox was chosen because it offers a solution which can be extended for multiple users and would therefore be able to grow with the business. Currently, it is essentially deployed as a single-user solution.
The solution was developed as a single database that could manage all the information required to make purchasing decisions in one place. Sitting behind the primary interface are multiple subsets of data which can be used for reporting, as well as updating the master database.
This meant that spreadsheet use was significantly reduced. Once a CSV file is uploaded to the database the system identifies duplicates, updates existing entries, and adds new ones. Users can search for specific drugs and identify suppliers and prices that meet their specific requirements.
Key Features
- Asset management
- Data management
- Team collaboration
benefits
The Ninox powered solution, implemented by Automate Labs, has delivered some truly useful performance enhancements. The improved visibility of supplier pricing allows the company to make quick and efficient calculations, making purchasing decisions both quicker and more effective. The move away from multiple spreadsheets ensures that data is cleaner and more accurate. Fewer mistakes mean more opportunities to reduce staff costs (and reduce stress!), as many previously manual processes are now fully automated.
