German same-day express and emergency logistics provider time:matters has signed a cooperationagreement with Siemens Healthcare with retroactive effect from April 1, 2008, for the segment of “
time-critical spare parts logistics”.Following the agreement with Fujitsu Siemens Computers last month, time:matters has nowgained another corporate customer from the Siemens Group for its logistics services. SiemensHealthcare, a business unit of the Siemens Group, manufactures and distributes a wide range oflive-saving and vital high-tech equipment for clinics and doctors’ offices.
As part of the agreement, time:matters has taken on the spare parts supply in theScandinavian countries as well as Italy for its cooperation partner. A special “innight network”ensures that spare parts of Siemens Healthcare which are meant for sensitive medical equipment aretransported overnight from the company’s warehouse to any destination within 12-14 hours.
Franz-Joseph Miller, CEO of time:matters, says that it is obvious that the challenges facingspare parts logistics have significantly increased and will continue to do so. A few years ago,Siemens Healthcare stored items in several decentralized warehouses throughout the world. Now thecompany stores approx. 40,000 stock items, which must remain available as spare parts for theSiemens’ high-quality products, at just three distribution centers worldwide as well as at a fewregional warehouses.
Siemens Healthcare sends around 650,000 spare parts and delivers in over 160 countries peryear. “The quality of the after-sales service plays a decisive role for us, especially since thedelayed delivery of spare parts for many of our products would lead to incredibly high costsassociated with downtimes and our customers’ dissatisfaction,” explains Heiko Ansorge, Head ofStrategic Transport Management at Siemens Healthcare, Material Logistics.
