Theft has been an enormous problem for pharmaceutical distributors.
Background
Theft has been an enormous problem for pharmaceutical distributors. With no way to monitor employees constantly and do thorough searches upon entering and leaving facilities, crime goes largely unchecked. Massive amounts of products are disappearing daily - from opioids such as fentanyl, used to control pain - to those drugs that are used for contraception. Some employees are also stealing the drugs and then advertising them for sale on social media. This results in the loss of millions in profit each month.
The challenge
How do you detect contraband and stolen products hidden on an employee‘s person safely and effectively when leaving a warehouse facility?
The solution
Recognizing the amount of lost profit that company was experiencing and wanting to have a more trustworthy and ethical workforce, a Chilean pharmaceutical distributor sought a solution that could detect even the most well-hidden items on a person.
Smiths Detection’s eqo, which utilizes millimeter wave technology to scan for concealed items hidden under clothing, has the unique capability to rapidly detect items rapidly using its real-time automated detection interface. The warehouse installed the screener and set it up to screen on a random basis. As they leave the facility, employees are now required to press a button that illuminates a white or green light. If the light illuminates white, they are free to pass without inspection. If it glows green, then they need to pass through the eqo to check for any pharmaceuticals that may be hidden on their person.
The scan results are reviewed in a remote office, so other employees are not able to see what items (if any) have been detected. If stolen items are detected, then a separate security official leads the worker into a different room for searching and law enforcement authorities are called.
Immediate disciplinary action is taken: the person‘s employment is terminated and criminal charges may be filed.
The result
Before installing the eqo, the distributor was faced with the loss of hundreds of millions of pesos in inventory each month. The theft was uncontrollable and the stolen goods were being sold on the black market or through social media. Once the eqo was installed, the reduction in theft was immediate. Hundreds of millions of pesos were saved. eqo proved to be a great solution, providing a clear return on investment for the customer.
In the first month alone, over six large crates worth of stolen pharmaceuticals were recovered. One year later, attempted theft of product has been reduced to less than a quarter of a single crate.
Product Adopted:Medical