FMD operations on groupings
An FMD operation on the grouping is initiated with the pull-down button at the top of the screen. VERIFY, DISPENSE and EXPORT are available.
The FMD operation is applied to all packs in the grouping.
Perform FMD operations on groupings
A grouping is applied in the so-called “bulk mode”. The entire content of the grouping is transferred to the NMVS in a single step. Processing takes some time, the result is not returned but is waiting for retrieval on the NMVS server.
The medAspis system checks at increasing intervals whether the processing of the bulks is ready. As long as processing is not completed on the NMVS side, a blue icon with a rotated arrow is displayed.
Whether processing is finished on the NMVS side can be determined by clicking the reload button. As soon as the data processing on the NMVS side is finished and can be retrieved, this icon is replaced by the result icon. The result of the bulk query then appears in the RESULT column and the corresponding green or red icon. The icon is a representation of the most negative single result of the packs. If only one pack has a negative result, the entire bulk is marked with the red cross.
More detailed information on the bulk operation is provided by clicking on the respective line. The immediately opening sub-window shows the packs contained in the grouping together with their respective FMD result. The view and functionality are the same as in the Scan History.
Special features of bulk operation in the Arvato system
Arvato handles the processing of bulk operations differently from the other two providers Solidsoft and securPharm in two respects:
Exception homogeneous bulks: Arvato allows wholesalers to process homogeneous bulks only. In these bulks, the product codes, batches and expiry dates must be the same for all packs. Only the serial number may vary. Requests with mixed bulks are returned as an error with no results reported on individual packs.
Exception: Return of individual pack results: As a rule, bulk operations return an individual pack result for each pack included. There is one exception to this rule at Arvato: If all the packs contained in a verify bulk operation have a positive result, an individual result is not delivered for each pack, but only for the entire bulk. There is only one result representing of all the packs included.
Mixed Bulk Operation
To offset the disadvantages of Arvato’s processing of bulk FMD operations, there is the optional mixed bulk operation. The mixed bulk operation analyses a bulk batch before it is sent to an NMVS used by Arvato. If packs are found not to be of the same type and batch, the original bulk is split into homogeneous sub-bulks, which are then passed to the Arvato algorithm. The respective sub-segments are processed individually and later reassembled into the bulk that the user originally intended to process. The mixed bulk operation runs entirely in the background; the user does not need to call up a separate operation.
Unlike in the original Arvato bulk operation, packages can be processed that have different FMD statuses at the time of scanning (e.g. one pack is active, another already deactivated). However, only operations permitted by the NMVS system are executed (e.g. reactivation within 10 days).
The mixed bulk operation also allows inter-market transactions.
Working with groupings
Groupings are usually used to apply FMD operations to existing business processes. Either packs of business processes such as deliveries are processed together, or packs in distribution units such as cartons or pallets are grouped together.
Status of a grouping
Groupings can have different statuses. The status can be used to describe the state of the grouping. Example: Packs can still be added to an open grouping, a grouping with the status “Completed” can no longer be changed.
