On March 9, NTT Logisco announced that it has introduced an "AI Return System" at its "Medical Distribution Center Tokyo" to automate the process of receiving returned medical devices using AI technology.
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In the sale of medical devices, including implants, which come in a variety of specifications, there is a business model called "consignment sales," where manufacturers temporarily entrust products to medical institutions through dealers, and the medical institutions purchase the products when they begin to be used, such as in surgery.
When products that have not been used by medical institutions for several months to several years are returned to the logistics center, workers visually check the product name, lot number, and other information attached to the product, along with the dealer name and medical institution name written on the shipping label, in order to process their acceptance into the WMS (Warehouse Management System).
The shipping labels often did not use the official names, making it essential for workers familiar with the terminology to make judgments. This led to challenges such as the reliance on individual workers and the occurrence of incorrect registrations due to input errors.
In light of these circumstances, NTT Logisco introduced the "Return AI System" at its Medical Distribution Center Tokyo with the aim of standardizing the acceptance process for returned products and improving quality.
The system uses image recognition technology to digitize the names of medical institutions and dealers by taking a picture of the shipping company's delivery slip. If abbreviations or handwritten names are used, an AI-powered "fuzzy search display function" converts them into the official names for accurate data digitization.
By establishing a work system that does not rely on skilled workers and automating manual data entry processes, we prevented input errors and improved the overall efficiency of the return and acceptance process. This shortened the lead time until the inventory was ready for reshipment.
By introducing the "Return AI System" to customers using a consignment sales model, we aim to improve productivity and quality by promoting digital transformation and automation in the medical device logistics field.
