Driving better patient care with an agile, data driven solution for Canon Medical UK
Leading global medical equipment manufacturer, Canon Medical, has been an innovator in medical applications for more than 70 years, and its product range includes diagnostic imaging systems such as: X-Ray, MRI, CT, Ultrasound and Eye Care solutions.
The company operates in 11 countries across Europe and employs more than 1000+ staff.
Canon Medical has worked with Carousel since 2017 after appointing the company to handle all Canon Medical UK’s critical parts deliveries and returns.
The background
Canon Medical approached Carousel looking for an agile, data-driven solution that would help them consistently meet the critical demands of the medical equipment industry and ultimately, improve customer service.
They recognised that the availability of parts could impact their brand, but more importantly, have a detrimental impact on patient outcomes. Engineers often wasted valuable time searching for parts in a hospital, delaying them in fixing equipment and preventing maximum up-time.
Canon Medical UK wanted a reliable service, plus an easy and efficient collections and returns management process. Having integrated systems and an intuitive data dashboard was also imperative.
The solution
The solution moves critical parts from Canon Medical System’s warehouse in Eindhoven, NL to the UK.
The solution utilises Carousel’s own air-cargo service from Maastricht to Birmingham, which offers late collection times and speedy air-side sortation for faster arrivals and earlier deliveries.
After goods arrive into Birmingham, Carousel injects consignments directly into its in-night network, delivering parts and products seamlessly to dedicated collection points. Canon Medical UK operates across the whole of UK, all English Trusts, Welsh, Scottish and NI Health Boards, as well as all major private healthcare providers, numerous sports clubs and vets.
As a complete end-to-end solution, Carousel manages all aspects of the final mile and this includes ‘white glove’ delivery directly into specified hospital rooms; but the efficiencies don’t just end there.
Carousel’s seamless returns process gives engineers the option to return products and parts from strategically-located returns points, including points directly in the hospital. On receipt, items are reconciled against the original job, ensuring better inventory control, but most importantly, this allows engineers to be more efficient with their time.
Carousel’s technology platform sits across the entire solution, offering Canon Medical UK greater transparency and instant access to key information.
In this highly competitive market, there is no room for error, and that’s why we don’t settle for anything less than excellence. For Canon Medical an end-to-end solution was vital from an operational point of view, as it not only brings reliability, but also more control and a greater customer experience overall too.
97% of all UK deliveries now reliably arrive next-day, helping Canon Medical UK to consistently meet urgent delivery schedules, easily, while also driving better patient care. As a value-added solution however, Canon Medical UK also benefits from:
- Better end-to-end economics –with in-room deliveries and later European collection times, more parts now arrive faster and earlier in the day, meaning Canon Medical UK can now avoid costly SLA penalties caused by delays
- Enhanced customer satisfaction levels –engineers now spend less time collecting and returning parts, helping to drive faster first time fix rates and ultimately reducing clinic cancellations and improving waiting times for patients. Enhanced customer satisfaction also means greater market share too
- Reduced administration time –with enhanced visibility and control, Canon Medical UK now benefits from reduced administration time and a fully streamlined process, freeing up in-house teams to focus on other strategic objectives
- Greater competitive advantage –with a flexible solution, that adapts to the needs of the business, Canon Medical UK now has the commercial confidence to meet the ever-changing demands of the medical equipment industry.
The result
Carousel’s innovative technology also offers Canon Medical UK more flexibility and visibility than many other healthcare providers on the market, while our air line-haul operation offers operational stability that is completely unrivalled.
As a result, Carousel’s solution is a critical link in Canon Medical UK commitment to delivering service quality, reliability and high performance.
A fast, high-performance approach means the manufacturer can now better meet the needs of its customers while garnering maximum efficiency savings if a system does go down.
Our partnership with Carousel is paying dividends and we have a greater level of transparency and ownership over our deliveries, which is not something we’ve ever had with any other logistics provider. We now have a dedicated point of contact, offering us consistency, as well as a clear chain of escalation. Carousel’s flexibility meets all our needs and their customer service is also first-class. I continue to be impressed by their willingness to address any issues and find solutions.
Responding to the COVID-19 pandemic
One of the benefits of having an agile solution, and access to a shared network of services, is the flexibility to adapt, quickly and easily to whatever comes around the corner.
The healthcare industry is one that is always full of uncertainty, but the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic proved to be a period of unprecedented challenges that could change by the day. Here’s what Canon Medical UK said about Carousel’s ability to respond.
It’s amazing to see how Carousel has handled this crisis. Everyone has worked exceptionally well, under very difficult, and very inconsistent hospital restrictions, yet they continued to deliver as close as possible to the requested time and as near as possible to the intended departments. We always had a clear line of communication, to advise us of irregularities or alternate delivery points, and the team has shown that they are able and willing to go the extra mile for us. Despite so much disruption, I can’t quite believe we’ve had so few issues.
