Case Study BEMER Group 

Magnetic field therapy for humans and horses -  High demands on product safety and storage 

“2 x 8 minutes a day can improve your life” - is the motto of the BEMER Group based in Triesen. In practice, this means that the Liechtenstein-based company can have a targeted effect on central functions in the body using a special application. Patented signals are transported into the bodies of humans (and horses) via pulsating magnetic fields. Cell supply with nutrients and oxygen as well as the removal of metabolic waste products can be supported in this way. The result: improved blood circulation and rapid regeneration, even after illness and in the case of wound healing and fracture healing disorders.  

Die BEMER-Anwendung für den Menschen ist die Weiterentwicklung der Magnetfeldtherapie. Das patentierte System ist seit Ende der Neunzigerjahre erprobt. Positive  Ergebnisse sind vielfach wissenschaftlich belegt. BEMER hat für seine Humananwendung als einziges Unternehmen bisher die Zulassung als „Medizinprodukt“ auf Grundlage der europäischen Medizinprodukteverordnung und dem Medizinprodukterecht-Durchführungsgesetz erhalten. Entsprechend hoch sind auch die Anforderungen an Maßnahmen in Produktion und Lager. Beispiel: BEMER nutzt beim Kommissionieren und im Warenausgang seit September 2022 die Scan-Software von etiscan. 

Warehouse Associate Michael Wilfling and Sören Riesner, Business Owner ERP

IT at BEMER 

BEMER uses the Jira cloud for most of its IT workflows today. VPN tunnels are not in use. An update of the ERP system Business Central (BC) to the latest version is currently being prepared in order to be able to follow the update cycles specified by Microsoft - no easy task. The reason: over 25 years, BEMER has made a number of individual adjustments to BC and its predecessor system Navision in order to meet the high regulatory requirements. Over time, many of these were integrated by Microsoft as standard functions.  

The switch to BC took place at the end of 2020, which means that all customizations need to be identified and transferred to the corresponding standard function. In addition, non-standardized customizations must be integrated as extensions in the future. All these changes are logged in requirements documents and test catalogs to ensure that the system functions correctly. Employees must embrace these changes. They have to test and accept changes.  

Sören Riesner has an eye on the process landscape. Born in Lüneburg, he once joined BEMER in Triesen as an IT project manager.Today he is responsible as “Business Owner ERP”.His team processes the inquiries and requirements of all employees (around 100 in Liechtenstein, around 30 in the USA).It deals with costs, time estimates, approvals, transfer to development, creation of specifications and requirements specifications as well as QM in the IT area.The team is now also proactively examining the processes in the departments in order to identify obstacles and initiate best practice.  

Current requirements 

“Because our special application is certified as a medical device, we have to go through clinical trials every year, for example the Medical Device Regulation. These are high requirements,” says Sören Riesner. When it came to introducing the regulatory “unique device identifier (UDI)” - a unique numeric or alphanumeric barcode for a medical device to identify specific products and their traceability - new warehouse software was put to the test. 

Einsatz von etiscan 

Because Business Central at BEMER cannot handle the required 40 digits in the code, a holistic solution was needed that would also streamline the process in production and in the warehouse. The volume needed to be easy to process both via cable and Bluetooth. Other questions: “Are there scanners with an input screen for BC? Which software works independently of the computer? Which hardware can be updated the longest? We needed small, lightweight devices for production and a version with a convenient keyboard for the warehouse. 

Die Software-Wahl fiel auf etiscan. „Diese Standardlösung bildet alles ab. Nachentwickelt haben wir mit etiscan nur die Produktionslogik für die Bearbeitung von Fertigungsaufträgen“, berichtet Sören Riesner. Wichtig war für ihn: „Eine Eingabemaske unabhängig von ERP und Desktop, die nichts Verwirrendes enthält und nur Infos liefert, die der Nutzer tatsächlich braucht, die aber trotzdem nahtlos mit BC gekoppelt ist.“ Nach einem Tagesworkshop entstanden Lasten- und Pflichtenheft. „Wir sind rasch vorangekommen und hatten Spaß an der Arbeit.  Das etiscan-Team agierte unkompliziert und war jederzeit erreichbar“, berichtet der IT-Experte. Vom Software-Dienstleister etiscan aus Wöllstadt kamen dann auch die Vorschläge und Testgeräte für die mobilen Scanner. Zebra hatte schließlich aufgrund kürzerer Lieferzeiten die Nase vorn. 

BEMER hat durch die Umstellung an Flexibilität im Bereich der Fertigung und Kommissionierung gewonnen. In Produktion und Lager gibt es keine blinden Flecken, alles hängt an einem leistungsfähigen WLAN-Netz. Alle 20 Kommissionierer und vier Mitarbeiter im Warenausgang nutzen seit September 2022 die etiscan-Scanner täglich.  

Label printing is currently in the introduction/transition phase. Labels are still being printed centrally, but tests and preparations have been completed. The changeover to printing directly at the workstation is taking place gradually. Here, the employee's scanner is connected directly to the print server via API; within a few seconds, it creates a label with the latest data for the product currently being manufactured. It is also possible to reprint directly, e.g. in the event of a printing error. 

One problem in Business Central is parallel access by different employees to the same function/table. This problem was easily solved by introducing the scanners: a newly introduced “layer” stores the data and synchronizes with the ERP via an API interface.Sören Riesner: “This saves a huge amount of time and performance has improved considerably.The shipping volume has increased significantly.We also had a lot to do due to some discount campaigns.” Effectiveness and efficiency can also be proven using a step counter: one employee found out via his Smartwach that he has to walk around 10,000 fewer steps a day (approx. 10 km) thanks to the new scanner technology, because the new scanners have improved the order picking process. 

Although old scanners are still available as a backup, they have not been used so far. “The new scanners are in use all day, the battery performance is good. They are put on the charging station in the evening. And the connection to the server is also great,” reports Warehouse Associate Michael Wilfling. 

Montage der B.Box mit der etiscan Eingabemaske 

Das wurde im Projekt mit etiscan umgesetzt: 

• Processing production orders via the scanners 
• Standardfunktionalitäten von etiscan  
  (stock transfer, warehouse picking, stock information, etc.) 
• Connection of software for automatic label printing 
• Automation of manual processes 
• etc. 

More information about BEMER 

• Purchase - no injection molding and no circuit board production 
• Assembly, packaging, shipping from Liechtenstein all over the world   
• Separate physical storage locations in Liechtenstein: USA, Canada, Liechtenstein 
• Order-related assembly for markets such as Malaysia, Brazil, etc. 
• USA: pure sales organization, no more warehouse 
• Direct sales: via approx. 30,000 BEMER medical product consultants and partners such as health centers, medical supply stores, alternative practitioners;  
  they are only allowed to sell products after attending a BEMER start-up seminar and product training and are integrated into the structure under their mentor 

Market leader in the field of microcirculation  

Physical vascular therapy  

BEMER = Bio-Electro-Magnetic-Energy-Regulation  

The BEMER magnetic field mats, developed since 1998, stimulate microcirculation for improved regeneration after sport and for stressed areas of the body, such as the lower back. The products can support the entire vascular system. The BEMER application in the human area is a further development of magnetic field therapy. It uses the pulsating magnetic field to bring the patented BEMER signal configuration into the body. The processes of cell supply with nutrients and oxygen as well as the removal of metabolic waste products are supported. The mechanism of action has been scientifically investigated in numerous studies. These mats are a certified medical product that (unlike wellness products) is subject to stringent certification requirements. 

 
Special feature: Magnetic field mats for horses 

There is no classification and regulation for medical products in the veterinary sector. BEMER has developed a signal tailored to the horse's body that stimulates impaired microcirculation. The effect on the resting nerve (parasympathetic nervous system) supports relaxation and recovery processes. Sales partners are stable associations, veterinarians, etc.  

BEMER Int. AG 
9495 Triesen, Austrasse 15  
Liechtenstein 
https://bemergroup.com/

Photos: Author Sabine Ursel (Wiesbaden)