Cleveland Clinic 89th Street Service Center - A Work in Progress

Monday, September 9, 2008

The Schachinger Group has been working on the 89th Street Service Center project for the Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH since November 2005. The job is almost completed, with a series of "go-live" dates scheduled of the starting over the next few weeks. This represents the largest and most sophisticated hospital based Distribution Center in the USA, and likely the world.

Our work consisted of:

• Feasibility Studies
• Visioning
• Programming
• Design
• Contract Documents
• Project Management and Construction Administration
• Implementation and Training

The Schachinger Group's scope of work for this project included the following departments and systems:

• INTEGRATION: TSG was tasked with development of an integrated design for the services to be housed within the new 89th St. Service Center. The concepts provide a single floor design covering 183,000 ft² with all operations integrated through the AGVS.
• ELEVATORS: Passenger, Service and Materials Elevators were studied and designed by TSG.
• MATERIALS HANDLING: TSG studied numerous alternatives for cart transport between the Cleveland Clinic Campus and the 89th Street Service Center and recommended the implementation of an Automated Guided Vehicle System (AGVS). The AGVS will utilize 81 transporters and over 1,000 carts to make over 4,800 cart moves daily covering a total distance of over 1,000 miles.
• MATERIALS MANAGEMENT: A new state of the art highly sophisticated Receiving and Order Fulfillment System (OFS) that is estimated will process materials with pick rates 8 to 10 times faster and with inventories levels approximating 25% of previous operational levels. An integrated Warehouse Management System (WMS) will maintain real time inventories, track and direct operations and work with a signature capture system, integrated with the AGV to verify final deliveries. Order Fulfillment is accomplished with the assistance of sophisticated "pick-to-light" and "pick-to-display" systems working with pallet and carton flow racks and carousels. Materials are placed into tote boxes, or if in cartons directly onto conveyors where they are automatically transported to various zones for loading, completion, consolidation and shipping. The WMS interfaces with the AGVS to provide final destinations for loaded supply carts. Non-stock items are processed through a "fast track system" that can receive, sort, track, deliver to destination and obtain a signature at the delivery location in an average of two hours or less. High efficiencies are expected to yield substantial cost savings.

• DOCKS: 11 high production clean positions // 6 soiled dock positions are provided, with automated dumping of treated medical wastes.
• PATIENT FOOD SERVICES, CENTRAL STERILE SUPPLY AND TEXTILE SERVICES: State of the art departments will be integrated with the hospital User Departments through the Automated Guided Vehicle System.
• WASTE MANAGEMENT: Will provide a centralized location for the disposal of all waste types, with automated processing of Medical Wastes. All soiled carts are automatically managed by the AGVS which includes two automated cartwashers.

More information can be seen on the Cleveland Plain Dealer's ® website at: http://www.cleveland.com/medical/index.ssf/2008/09/clinics_underground_warehouse.html