Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun

April 16, 2014

Cook Japan
Takes Rigorous Measures to Prevent Incorrect Delivery of Medical Devices
Invests in both equipment and human resources
Cook Japan handles medical devices, including stent grafts. During emergencies, such as
urgent surgery for aortic aneurysms, it has to deliver devices to medical institutions within 2-3
hours. Meanwhile, ordinarily, Cook Japan has a system of double or triple precautions, to
ensure that absolutely no mistakes are made. The company has built up flexible, robust
logistics from the viewpoint of both systems and staff training.
Cook Japan delivers 60,000 products per month nationwide from its Shinsuna warehouse
(Koto-ku, Tokyo). The company handles about 3,000 different products. Even stent grafts that
look the same at first glance have specifications that vary in detail, depending on the shape
and diameter of blood vessels. As medical device affects the issue of life or death, reliability is
the top priority, so defects and wrong deliveries are not permissible. Cook Japan has plenty of
inventory, and implements location management. Products are automatically assigned from
their storage locations, so theres no need for people to remember where each product is.
When items are delivered, the picking location is automatically indicated from the order data,
and bar-codes are read to ensure that only the correct products can be removed from the
warehouse. In addition, delivery inspections are done by people working in pairs, to strictly
eliminate human error. Errors occur at a frequency of maybe one per year.
Adhering to a procedure for Automatic system operation enables operator to eliminate
misdelivery. Even so, Cook Japan invests in human resources. It hires warehouse staff as full-
time employees, without outsourcing, and teaches them its corporate philosophy and
knowledge of its products. Considering business efficiency and costs, thats not rational. Says
President Kazuhiko Yagome: Whatever system we set up, ultimately, it involves people. In
day-to-day work, the difference isnt visible, but in situations such as emergency response,
that difference emerges through years of experience. To improve precision over the long term
of 10-20 years, Cook Japan considers it important to invest in human resources. We want
staff to have the attitude that patients are the top priority. Thats true whether people work in
sales, an office, or a warehouse. He says.
When a company invests in people, on-site improvements and sharing of international know-
how happen quickly. Cook uses its German shipment racks in Japan, too, and has introduced
its Japanese documentation system at its logistics center in Shanghai. Staff from overseas also
frequently visit Cooks warehouses in Japan. Among the 30 people working at the Shinsuna
warehouse, only 2-3 deal directly with contacts overseas, but in April, Cook Japan started
offering weekly English training to all staff who desire it. The company will build up a system
that has no discrepancies between Japan and other countries.
Takayuki Kodera