As conflict in the Middle East continues, the pharmaceutical industry continues to endure soaring costs and instability, with the UK government’s price concessions currently 120 per cent higher than they were in April 2025[1]. If the situation persists, the cost of raw materials are also set to increase, making it a crucial time for organisations to explore alternative avenues for reducing costs and streamlining operations.
Recognising this, Southgate Global is continuing to help manufacturers and distributors reduce spend and improve efficiency through its ongoing strategic approach to warehouse and supply chain solutions, with a new Asset Tracking system.
The new solution helps cut costs by giving those in busy operations reliable visibility and better control of their warehouse inventory and stock – both within the warehouse and across the wider supply chain – helping to streamline operations, minimise downtime and support the flow of goods.
This is crucial when missing inventory or stock can cause unexpected downtime, and threaten batch integrity, potentially resulting in the destruction of sensitive drugs. With pharmacies across the UK already reporting widespread shortages of common drugs like Aspirin, the industry cannot afford to lose stock.[2]
By capturing real-time data on movement – from totes, roll cages and trolleys in the warehouse, to global shipments including perishable and temperature-sensitive goods – Southgate enables organisations to identify bottlenecks and pain points, and make better data-led decisions.
Darren Hill, Business Development Manager at Southgate, said: “Global instability can have a significant impact on any business, and those operating in the pharmaceutical sector are no exception. That’s why we’re encouraging organisations to focus on optimising areas of their operation within their control and look at innovative ways they can keep costs down.
“Every day, assets go missing, sit idle, or require unnecessary replacement due to a lack of visibility. Southgate’s Asset Tracking solutions give you instant visibility across your sites, fleets and supply chain – helping you work faster, safer, more efficiently and economically.
“Our team can support with a complete end-to-end service, scoping out your bespoke needs and building the right solution. Our expert technicians can install and configure Asset Tracking solutions, and provide ongoing reporting and insights, helping you increase uptime and reduce costs.”
Southgate’s Asset Tracking Solution combines robust hardware with a cloud-based platform. Tracking can be tailored to support the movement of pharmaceutical goods both in the warehouse and through the broader supply chain, with optional telemetry, including temperature, shock, humidity and tamper detection.
Customers gain access to real-time tracking, dashboards and alerts – making it easy to locate missing assets. This reduces the risk of damage, improves the flow of goods, and mitigates the risk of additional costs.
Southgate Orbit is designed specifically for local environments, such as pharmaceutical wholesale hubs. Using high-accuracy Bluetooth tracking, it provides real-time visibility and alerts when assets leave defined zones – ideal for high-volume and lower-value equipment such as totes, roll cages or trolleys used in moving pharmaceutical goods around.
Southgate Atlas enables tracking across countries, sites and customer networks, offering worldwide indoor and outdoor coverage across 179 countries – ideal for monitoring shipments of medicines through the supply chain.
Darren added: “As businesses’ internal eco-systems and the wider supply chain grow in size and complexity, it’s more important than ever to keep control and maintain asset availability. It’s about making your assets work harder – and smarter and giving customers the confidence and visibility to run safer, faster and more efficient operations.
“In environments where performance, cost control, and reliability are non-negotiable, asset tracking is no longer just an operational tool – it’s a competitive advantage.”
Find out more about Southgate’s Asset Tracking Solutions here.
[1] Middle east crisis: Pharmacies warn of ‘eye watering’ medicine cost increases | National Pharmacy Association
[2] Pharmacies report widespread shortages of Aspirin | National Pharmacy Association
