The pharmaceutical distributor Hefame has opened its own new logistics center in Gironathird of the Murcia cooperative in Catalonia, where serves more than 1,000 pharmacies. The cooperative has two more warehouses in Catalonia, one in Castellbisbal (Barcelona) and another in Tortosa (Tarragona).
The center of Girona, which is located at les Ferreries industrial estate, a Campllong, tea an area of more than 1,500 square meters, manages a stock of more than 20,000 references and has 15 shipping docks. “Its launch enables the activity of the large automated warehouse of the cooperative in Castellbisbal to be streamlined and the service in this community to be improved”, explains the company.
The pharmaceutical distributor has invested more than two million euros in the new plant. In April last year, he announced that the center was expected to be operational in the second half of 2022, however, the opening has finally been delayed by a few months.
Turnover grows
The general director of Hefame, Javier López, presented during the inauguration ceremony the most relevant data on the evolution of the cooperative. In his speech, he referred to Hefame’s turnover in Catalonia, and emphasized that, in two years, the results have ostensibly improved, with a global increase in Catalonia of almost 8.5%, going from 220 million in 2020 to almost 240 million in 2022.
The director explained that the warehouse in Girona represents 50% of the logistics activity that will take place in the area. “The other 50% will be made by the warehouse in Riba-roja (Valencia)”, which “will also meet the needs of pharmacies in Catalonia”. «It is a mix between the very fast local response that will be developed from the warehouse in Girona and the activity of the Valencian macro warehouse“, he added.
On the other hand, the president of Grup Hefame, Enrique Ayuso, highlighted the strategic value of Catalonia for the cooperative and recalled that “Hefame has been betting on this land for more than thirty years, and investing in facilities and resources decade after decade”. Ayuso explained that Hefame’s history in Catalonia goes back to 1991 and 1992 with the opening of the first office in Tarragona and the first warehouse in Barcelona. “In that decade, the Girona office was opened and several investments were made, which culminated, in 1998, with the construction of the warehouse in Castellbisbal”, he indicated.
The president of Hefame assures that the inauguration of the Girona center “is another step in consolidating the presence of your cooperative in this community”and affirms that “Girona’s logistics center will allow Hefame improve service by reducing delivery times, being closer to pharmacies; offer them a greater vademecum and save on transport and on emissions into the atmosphere».
Currently, the cooperative provides service to 6,200 pharmacies, 1,200 more than in 2014. During this period, the area dedicated to logistics has increased from 67,000 square meters to more than 80,000 and the increase in items that the cooperative makes available of its members have gone from 38,000 to 100,000.