Rowa Automatisierungssysteme GmbH is

market leader Market dominance describes when a firm can control markets. A dominant firm possesses the power to affect competition and influence market price. A firms' dominance is a measure of the power of a brand, product, service, or firm, relative to ...

for automated stock handling in

pharmacies Pharmacy is the science and practice of discovering, producing, preparing, dispensing, reviewing and monitoring medications, aiming to ensure the safe, effective, and affordable use of medicines. It is a miscellaneous science as it links healt ...

and

hospital A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment with specialized health science and auxiliary healthcare staff and medical equipment. The best-known type of hospital is the general hospital, which typically has an emerge ...

s with its storage and dispensing systems. Medical supplies are scanned into the system, stored and then dispensed at the pharmacy sales counter using conveyor technology. The company has its headquarters in Kelberg, Eifel and employs over 300 staff. There are subsidiaries in Denmark, Italy, the Netherlands and Sweden. In 2011 turnover reached about 64 Million Euros and the company is one of the top 100 companies in Rheinland-Pfalz in terms of turnover. In 2011, Rowa was integrated in the global medical device company

CareFusion CareFusion was a medical company specializing in two areas: reducing medication errors and prevention of health care-associated infections. Spinoff CareFusion was created in 2009 as a spinoff of medical technology businesses from Cardinal Heal ...

, San Diego.

History

Rowa Automatisierungssysteme GmbH was founded in 1996 by Rudolf Wagner and Markus Willems. In 2006, Dirk Wingenter joined the management board and in 2009, Dr Christian Klas became the fourth member of the board. In 2011, Jean-Michel Deckers became a member of the board. Rowa Firmensitz Kelberg

The original business idea was triggered by a couple of pharmacists. They were keen to restructure workflows effectively in the modern pharmacy. In 1997 the first automated storage and dispensing system was installed in a Dresden pharmacy. Today about 10,000 pharmacies and hospitals all over the world are using Rowa Systems. PharmaXie, presented as the pharmacy of the future at the world fair

Expo 2000 Expo 2000 was a World Expo held in Hanover, Germany from 1 June to 31 October 2000. It was located on the Hanover Fairground (Messegelände Hannover), which is the largest exhibition ground in the world. Initially some 40 million people were expe ...

, was equipped with Rowa storage and dispensing systems.

Product range

Rowa produces and distributes automated stock handling systems for pharmacies. These systems are developed individually for each pharmacy or hospital. Like in a high-bay warehouse, medicaments are stored in random storage according to their size and height. These systems are developed individually for each pharmacy or hospital and store medication supplies as if in a high-bay warehouse without being ordered by size or depth. With high flexibility of the size, the systems can be adapted to the particular requirements of each pharmacy. Additional options include fully automated storage, or a consultation and dispensing terminal for pharmacies. In the latter case, patients can get advice through a video-conferencing facility and medicine can be dispensed remotely. This system, known as Visavia, is currently being contested in Germany. As a result of a decision (Reference Number 3C 30.09 and 31.09) by the German Federal Administrative Court, it is only partially approved. In other countries this type of terminal is in extensive use.

Awards and certification

* 41 cases of

Intellectual Property Right Intellectual property (IP) is a category of property that includes intangible creations of the human intellect. There are many types of intellectual property, and some countries recognize more than others. The best-known types are patents, cop ...

(IPR) and patents * TÜV- and GS-certified (ID-Nummer 0000028411)through the German technical inspection authority *

red dot design award The Red Dot Design Award is a German international design prize awarded by Red Dot GmbH & Co. KG. There are prize categories for product design, brands and communication design, and design concept. Since 1955, designers and producers can apply ...

* Nominee for the German Design Award 2011 * Rheinland-Pfalz Erfinderpreis, a state award for inventors * Holkenbrink Award * Best Pharmacy Partner 2011 and 2012 in the "Storage and Dispensing Systems" category (survey of University of Worms and PharmaRundschau)

Membership

* IDA – Innovationsakademie deutscher Apotheken (Innovation academy for German pharmacies) * Future Care – Informationsplattform für TeleHealth des Branchenverbands BITKOM (Information point for TeleHealth by ICT industry association BITKOM) * MiA – Marketingverband innovativer Apothekendienstleister (Marketing Association for Innovative Pharmacy Service Providers)

References

{{reflist

External links

''Das Unternehmergespräch: Rudolf Wagner, Gründer und Geschäftsführer der RowaAutomatisierungssysteme GmbH – „Apotheker erhalten mehr Zeit und Platz“.'')
(Conversation with an entrepreneur: Rudolf Wagner, founder and chief executive officer, Rowa Automatisierungssysteme GmbH). Article in: ''Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.'' 15 March 2010.
''Wenn Roboter Arzneien holen.''
(When robots fetch our medicines). Article in: ''Süddeutsche Zeitung.'' 8 June 2010.
''Automaten-Verkauf: Die Apotheke als Selbstbedienungsladen.''
(Automated sales: the pharmacy as a self-service facility). Article in: ''Handelsblatt.'' 24 June 2010. * Decision of the German Federal Administrative Court, 9 August 201

an

Top 100 – Die umsatzstärksten Unternehmen in Rheinland Pfalz.
(Top 100 – Rheinland Pfalz businesses with the highest turnover). (Ranking by the Rheinland-Pfalz Bank, October 2010) Companies based in Rhineland-Palatinate Companies established in 1996 Eifel German brands Manufacturing companies of Germany Robotics companies of Germany