Pharmacies turn to conveyors as prescription volume climbs

Pharmacies are adopting conveyor-based workflows to handle more prescriptions with fewer staff as chronic disease treatment, automation and labor shortages reshape daily operations. SmartMove Conveyors says the shift is accelerating as operators look for faster, more ergonomic and more accurate fulfillment systems.

Why it matters: - Pharmacies are under pressure to fill more prescriptions accurately with fewer workers. - Conveyor-assisted workflows are emerging as a practical way to cut walking, reduce handoffs and support leaner fulfillment. - The shift matters most in high-volume sites where every minute of technician time affects patient care and order accuracy.

What happened: - SmartMove Conveyors says pharmacies are moving from simple take-away lines to conveyors that bring products directly to technicians. - Paula Wright, PhD engineering consultant for SmartMove Conveyors, said modern conveyor tracks can run around the room near picking shelves so technicians can place items directly into traveling totes. - The company is positioning conveyor systems as a core part of modern pharmacy design rather than an add-on.

The details: - Research cited in the release shows clinical pharmacists in a multi-site hospital evaluation were interrupted an average of 34 times per day. - The same evaluation found only about 12% of pharmacists’ total time was spent face-to-face with patients. - Medication preparation in specialized settings can take an average of 50 minutes, and verification averages more than 8 minutes per order. - Studies of automated community pharmacies show higher prescription throughput per full-time pharmacist and a shift from repetitive counting toward patient counseling. - AI-enabled workflow tools have been shown to cut certain preparation tasks by as much as 80%. - The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says about six in ten U.S. adults live with at least one chronic disease, and four in ten manage two or more. - Americans used 210 billion days of therapy in 2025, up 1.5% from 2024 and about 13% over five years. - Retail pharmacies dispensed 84% of that therapy volume. - Net U.S. medicine spending reached $606 billion in 2025, up 10.6% from the prior year. - IQVIA said GLP-1 therapies for diabetes and obesity added $14 billion in growth on their own. - U.S. retail pharmacies are down nearly 8,000 locations since 2018, and more than 2,000 closed in 2025 alone, according to Drug Channels Institute. - Massachusetts lost 17% of its active pharmacies between 2019 and 2025, falling from 1,134 to 940, according to the state's Health Policy Commission. - The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics counts 471,200 pharmacy technician jobs and projects 6% growth from 2025 to 2035. - The Bureau of Labor Statistics also projects about 44,700 openings each year for pharmacy technicians. - Markets and Markets projects the pharmacy automation systems market will grow from $6.65 billion in 2024 to about $10 billion by 2030. - SmartMove says multilevel conveyor configurations paired with counting systems can expand capacity without expanding floor space. - The company says indexing conveyors stop the tote at each load position so technicians can fill orders methodically and consistently. - SmartMove says its conveyors are recessed into custom workstations so technicians can sit or stand comfortably. - ADA workstation options and incline conveyors are available. - Fast-pass lines can be created for urgent orders. - SmartMove conveyors operate on standard 110 or 220 VAC power and draw less than 3 amps at full capacity. - The company says a high-efficiency 25-watt drive plugs into a standard 120V outlet. - The conveyors require no grease or lubrication, are rust-resistant and run quietly. - SmartMove says sister company AMA Engineering builds the conveyors in Westport, Massachusetts. - AMA Engineering’s factory is powered entirely by solar energy. - Paula Wright said, "We operate on a clean footprint, and so does the product we produce."

Between the lines: - The release frames conveyors as a response to three pressures at once: rising demand, shrinking pharmacy counts and a stretched technician workforce. - The emphasis on ergonomics suggests pharmacies are treating workstation design as a productivity tool, not just a facilities choice. - The energy and maintenance claims position the systems as lower-cost infrastructure for operators watching overhead. - The message also links automation with a larger goal: freeing pharmacists and technicians to spend more time on patient-facing work.

What's next: - Industry observers expect continued investment in conveyor-integrated pharmacy design as prescription volumes rise and labor stays tight. - With U.S. medicine spending projected by IQVIA to grow 4.5% to 7.5% a year through 2030, more pharmacies may look for layouts that combine flexible workflows with lower operating costs. - SmartMove says its goal is to make picking as lean and efficient as possible so pharmacy teams can focus on patients.

The bottom line: - Conveyor systems are moving from behind-the-scenes hardware to a central piece of pharmacy workflow strategy.