Our Operations

Pharmacies all over Australia order their PBS medicines from NPSA pharmaceutical wholesalers.  Orders are placed via online portals for delivery to metro, rural or remote locations generally within 24 hours.

NPSA members provide support for their pharmacy customers ensuring vital access to medicines every day of the year.

DCs receive medicine orders from pharmacies around the country for processing and fulfillment.

NPSA members, on behalf of Government, procure, store and manage all PBS medicines.  PBS medicines and healthcare products are delivered from 3PL bulk facilities into our network of 25 secure DCs.  Some DCs receive around

Every DC has bulk storage for medicines and healthcare products.  There can be thousands of different locations for products including storage in cold chain and secure facilities.

In larger DCs, around 80,000 – 100,00 units of medicines and healthcare products can be unpacked from their boxes per shift for storage and fulfillment of orders.

Medicines and healthcare products are retrieved from bulk storage for order fulfillment. Up to 75,000 totes can be retrieved per hour.

At each station, more than 600 product lines per hour can be picked by hand to fulfill orders.

Picking medicine orders also takes place using automated systems such as the A-Frame.

This facility stores temperature sensitive medicines at 2-8 degrees Celsius. Orders for cold-chain medicines are picked and packed exclusively within this facility.

Each box represents a pharmacy order. Boxes are sealed securely ready for dispatch.

Orders destined for rural and remote pharmacy locations are the first to be dispatched to ensure timely delivery.  There are often long distances to travel to reach these customers.

Pharmacy orders destined for local metro areas are dispatched after rural and remote orders.  Some metro pharmacies will receive two deliveries a day if required.

Medicine and healthcare products orders are delivered to any pharmacy, almost anywhere in the country, within 24 hours. Some DCs deliver up to 1.5 million orders per week via hundreds of delivery routes.