New measurement system future-proofs Oriola’s drug management

Published 2025-05-27

To meet stringent regulatory requirements while future-proofing its operations, Oriola has chosen to replace its legacy monitoring system with the testo Saveris 1 measurement system. The system, installed at the company’s two sites in Mölnlycke and Enköping, plays a crucial role in ensuring optimal temperatures and humidity in the environments where sensitive medicines and health products are stored.

Oriola plays a central role in Swedish pharmaceutical distribution. The business covers everything from deliveries to pharmacies and hospitals to veterinary clinics and other healthcare institutions. It is a highly regulated industry where guidelines from the Swedish Medical Products Agency, the Swedish Food Agency and the Swedish Board of Agriculture, among others, set the framework. All handling must be done in accordance with GDP (Good Distribution Practice).

– We also have constant audits. Almost every week we are audited by a manufacturer who stores products with us. The customer then wants to see documentation showing that our measuring equipment is validated and calibrated, what settings and procedures we have for alarms, how any deviations are followed up and rectified – and so on,” says Ingemar Järsand, Property Manager at Oriola.

Hundreds of loggers and sensors
The company’s facilities in Mölnlycke (southeast of Gothenburg) and Enköping (northwest of Stockholm) have a combined storage and logistics area of around 50,000 square meters. Operations in Mölnlycke include an automated high-bay warehouse for pharmaceuticals and health products, and in Enköping there is an automated picking system for repackaging.

The new monitoring system is designed to meet high standards of measurement accuracy, safety and documentation. In Mölnlycke, 155 data loggers have been installed with a total of 220 temperature sensors and 25 humidity sensors. In Enköping, there are 142 data loggers for 180 temperature sensors and 20 humidity sensors. The data loggers are used to monitor a variety of carefully tempered environments.

– The climates in which we store pharmaceutical and healthcare products span a wide range of temperatures: from storing vaccines at -90 degrees to storing pharmaceutical and healthcare products at room temperatures. But whatever the environment, we need to have total control of the climate – around the clock,” says Ingemar Järsand.

Overview and flexibility
The decision to choose testo Saveris 1 was based on several factors. The old monitoring system was wired and required extensive physical installation for changes. The new system is wireless, which makes it much easier to customize and expand the monitoring as the business continuously changes.

– Thanks to the new system, controlled relocation of products can be done quickly and cost-effectively without cabling or major remodeling,“says Ingemar Järsand and continues:
-” The system is also very easy to understand. We use a program for the administration of sensors and alarms, as well as a user-friendly web interface – Cockpit – which we work with daily. Cockpit is very clear and easy to use. When alarms occur, we quickly get an overview and can act before any deviations occur.

The new monitoring system is set to log measurement data every five minutes and alerts in several stages: at an early stage, an alert is sent, allowing Ingemar and his colleagues to quickly investigate and fix the problem before an emergency alarm is triggered. This minimizes the risk of product loss and ensures that all climate parameters are within approved limits.

Installation, validation and support
testo Saveris 1 was delivered by Nordtec who also installed the base station, all data loggers and sensors and performed a comprehensive and thorough validation of the entire system. During an initial period, a remote desktop solution is used, which means that Nordtec can support Oriola with settings and troubleshooting remotely.

– Everything has gone very smoothly. In addition, the cooperation has been both instructive and fun. We are super happy with the system. It works exactly as it should, is easy to use and makes it easy for us to move temperature and humidity measurements when needed,” says Ingemar.

– This system allows us to confidently meet the requirements of our customers and authorities, both now and in the future. Thanks to Testos Saveris 1 and Nordtec’s support, we have the tools to continue to help ensure that medicines are stored and distributed in perfect condition to healthcare providers and ultimately private individuals who need the products,” concludes Ingemar Järsand.