St. Franziskus-Stiftung Münster and Fiege open annex to hospital logistics centre in Ahlen
Ahlen, 17th July 2017. Further growth at the Medical Order Center (MOC): St. Franziskus-Stiftung Münster, together with its logistics partner Fiege from Greven, opened an extension to its facility in Ahlen which will significantly expand capacities at the logistics centre dedicated to all things hospital. Following a one-year construction period, the project has created around 1,800 square metres of warehouse space with almost 1,200 pallet spaces reaching a height of more than ten metres, plus an additional 400 square metres of space for cutting-edge offices and recreational areas. The investment totalled around EUR 3.8 million.
“Today impressively emphasises the professional competence, the comprehensive range of services and the economic efficiency which the MOC provides to affiliated hospitals, long-term facilities and doctors’ offices”, said Dr. Klaus Goedereis, chief executive of St. Franziskus-Stiftung Münster, during the opening ceremony. The annex documents the success of the Medical Order Center concept which guarantees first-grade supply services from a single source for its healthcare clientele. The expansion also clearly acknowledges the value of the location of Ahlen which, from the very beginning, proved to be ideal.
Unique selling proposition in the healthcare industry
He also expressed his recognition of the 270 staff at the MOC. It is they who turned the MOC – which the foundation runs in co-operation with the logistics expert, Fiege – into a success. Their working method attracts the attention of hospital owners from the whole of Germany and Europe. Professionals arrive even from as far as the USA. “The MOC radiates far beyond Ahlen and the Münsterland”, days Dr. Goedereis.
The Medical Order Center is the largest centre for external supply services. “It was the first of its kind and to this day enjoys a unique selling proposition within the healthcare sector”, said Felix Fiege, member of the board of Fiege Logistik. “The MOC showcases the success of two courageous pioneers of hospital logistics”, Felix Fiege said further. The rapport between the two enterprises was always partner-like and based on trust, as Fiege pointed out: “Here in Westphalia, the spoken word counts. As a business, we could always rely on the word of St. Franziskus Stiftung and this naturally was also the case vice versa.” And this, just like the courage to pursue new paths, will continue in the future. “We are innovation drivers within the logistics sector and together with St. Franziskus Stiftung we intend to create new projects”, said Felix Fiege. In the near future, for example, electrical vehicles are to be employed to cover the shorter distances to hospitals in immediate proximity to the MOC.
Leader in the field of hospital logistics
Georg Rosenbaum, Managing Director and head of the MOC, looked back at how the logistics centre has evolved since its formation in 2001. In the meantime, it has become a leader in the field of hospital logistics in Germany. Sales of the two MOC in Ahlen and Bochum have risen almost ten-fold since 2001 and additionally, dedicated services for certain medical products have been created for clinics. Over the past 16 years, it is not only the MOC that has evolved further, but also the internal infrastructure at the hospital that it supplies. A modular tray system, operation-specific tracing, pharmaceutical recording at the clinics on site as well as many more consultancy services in fields such as the hospital dispensary, sterilisation and trading with products have lastingly intensified customer relationships.
In his welcoming address, the mayor of the city of Ahlen, Dr. Alexander Berger, initially underscored the significant economic importance of the logistics centre for the location. Professor Dr. Hubert Otten of Niederrhein University of Applied Sciences highlighted that the MOC contributes significantly to standardising and rationalising process flows, thereby offering considerable potential savings to the affiliated hospitals.
