NORTHFIELD, IL – Medtrade exhibitor Medline has agreed to implement next-generation warehouse automation from Symbotic, a company engaged in AI-enabled robotics technology. The agreement is part of Medline’s ongoing efforts to strengthen the resiliency, efficiency and scalability of the healthcare supply chain. Medline is the first healthcare company to deploy this technology.

The Symbotic System is an AI-powered platform that automates picking, storage, and retrieval of items for distribution. Widely used across multiple complex industries, including large scale retail and consumer goods companies, the technology uses intelligent, autonomous robots to depalletize and singulate inbound full pallets, store and retrieve items, and build orders into smart outbound pallets. Medline will pilot this technology in 2027 at one of its 45 distribution centers in the U.S.

“Our vertically integrated solution of manufacturing and distributing products to all points of care is unique among healthcare suppliers,” said Sean Halligan, chief supply chain officer at Medline via press release. “Medline’s strategic investment in this technology will help us provide even more efficiency for our customers and help them meet their operational, clinical and financial goals.”

The partnership with Symbotic builds on Medline’s continued investment in advanced technologies across its U.S. distribution center network, aimed at improving speed, accuracy and scalability while supporting employee safety and experience. Medline also has recently deployed a range of automation and packaging solutions, including goods-to-person robotic picking systems, automated packaging and its custom Pick Pack Pro™ technology, to modernize fulfillment operations and better serve customers across all points of care.

“We are proud to partner with Medline, the largest provider of medical-surgical products and supply chain solutions, on the next step in its transformation,” said Mike Dunn, chief customer officer at Symbotic. “Given the importance of accuracy, speed and cost in this space, this agreement is a great validation of the power of the Symbotic System, and of our commitment to reimagining the supply chain and transforming the movement of goods through intelligent automation.”