Automated logistics for clinical trial supply chains

Hai Robotics has deployed its HaiPick autonomous storage and retrieval solution at Zuellig Pharma Korea’s newly opened Clinical Trial Support (CTS) Innovation Center in Gyeonggi-do. The project targets one of the most operationally demanding segments of healthcare logistics: the handling, storage, and distribution of materials used in clinical trials across domestic and international markets.

Clinical trial logistics as a high-complexity use case
Clinical trial supply chains require tighter controls than conventional pharmaceutical distribution. Products must be managed across multiple temperature regimes, including cold chain and cryogenic storage, while maintaining full traceability, inventory accuracy, and regulatory compliance. The CTS Innovation Center was designed to address these requirements with automated order fulfillment, dedicated packaging zones, and controlled storage environments.

Within this context, automation is used not primarily for labor reduction, but to improve consistency, reduce handling errors, and support rapid response to changing trial protocols and patient demand.

Role of the HaiPick autonomous system
Hai Robotics’ HaiPick solution is based on autonomous mobile robots that climb racking structures to retrieve and store totes or cartons. Unlike fixed automation, the system does not require conveyors or cranes, allowing layouts to be adapted as storage profiles change.

At the Zuellig Pharma site, HaiPick increases effective storage density while supporting high-frequency inbound and outbound operations. Inventory movements are system-directed, enabling real-time visibility and accurate stock control—critical for clinical trial materials that often have limited shelf life or strict allocation rules.

Operation across multi-temperature environments
The deployment supports operations across different temperature zones, allowing workers and robots to operate within controlled environments without disrupting product integrity. This capability is particularly relevant for clinical trials involving biologics, advanced therapies, or temperature-sensitive investigational products.

By automating storage and retrieval tasks, the system reduces manual handling steps, which in turn lowers the risk of temperature excursions, mis-picks, or documentation errors.

Supporting scalability and digital transformation
The CTS Innovation Center is positioned near major transport corridors to serve both domestic and international trial sponsors. Automation provides Zuellig Pharma with a scalable logistics platform that can adapt to fluctuating trial volumes, protocol changes, and expanding geographic reach without requiring proportional increases in floor space or labor.

For Hai Robotics, the project demonstrates how goods-to-person automation can be applied beyond retail and e-commerce into regulated healthcare environments where precision, auditability, and reliability are as important as throughput.

Implications for healthcare supply chains
The deployment reflects a broader shift in healthcare logistics toward flexible automation that supports digital inventory management, validated processes, and consistent execution. In clinical trials—where delays or errors can directly affect study timelines and patient outcomes—warehouse automation becomes an enabler of both operational efficiency and clinical reliability.

By integrating autonomous storage technology into its CTS Innovation Center, Zuellig Pharma strengthens its ability to support complex clinical trial supply chains while laying the groundwork for further digitalization across its healthcare logistics operations.