Medline + Purolator
Medline Canada is a leading supplier of critical medical supplies across the country. Since 2003, they’ve built a coast-to-coast network supporting hospitals, clinics and patients with an inventory of over 30,000 stock-keeping units (SKUs). But managing timely, reliable medical supply deliveries in a market with complex healthcare logistics demands is no small feat, especially across a country as vast as Canada.
We spoke with Jot Aujla, Vice President of Operations at Medline, and Renata Reynolds, Sr. Account Manager, Purolator Inc., about how Purolator’s healthcare-focused logistics solutions helped Medline streamline their medical supply chain, and ensure both healthcare providers and patients receive exactly what they need, when they need it.
The story of Medline Canada
Medline Canada’s footprint spans the entire healthcare continuum. “Anything you can think of in regards to healthcare—we’re the prime distributor within Canada for that,” explains Jot Aujla. Their national medical supply delivery network serves a broad customer base including hospitals, long-term care homes and clinics, ensuring critical medical supplies reach every corner of the country. Aujla adds, “We ship everything from band-aids to wheelchairs to hospital beds to surgical packs. It’s everything a hospital needs to run and perform surgeries.”
Medline Canada is a leading distributor of medical supplies and healthcare solutions
Challenge
The hidden cost of delays in the medical supply chain
Fulfilling critical medical deliveries across Canada’s vast geography is no small task. Seasonal weather, complex delivery points and tight timeframes created ongoing hurdles for Medline. Before partnering with Purolator, their on-time delivery was in the mid-90% range—good, but not good enough in a sector where delays can cancel surgeries or leave patients without vital equipment.
“We were struggling to hit a 98% on-time delivery target,” Aujla recalls. “That’s a lot of customers not getting items on time.”
The company’s previous logistics setup relied on over seven different carriers, some subcontracting additional third-party carriers, which led to fragmented service, a lack of accountability and inconsistent performance. Plus, many customers, like smaller clinics and long-term care homes, lacked receiving docks—which added further complexity to their delivery systems.
Medline needed a trusted healthcare logistics partner who truly understands medical distribution, can deliver consistently and offers end-to-end shipment visibility.
How Purolator helped Medline Canada streamline medical supply delivery
Solution
A healthcare logistics strategy built for Canada
To tackle the growing complexity of national deliveries, Medline Canada turned to Purolator for a more responsive and reliable healthcare logistics partner. The answer was Purolator’s Health+ program (H+)—a solution designed specifically for the unique demands of the medical supply chain in Canada.
Right away, Purolator assembled an onboarding team to provide virtual and on-site training and support and together, they built a medical delivery system that prioritized speed, visibility and healthcare-compliant handling from end to end—without relying on third-party carriers. This closed-loop network gave Medline full control and consistency across every healthcare delivery, whether they were bandages or surgical beds.
Purolator also assigned Medline a dedicated representative for support. With a single point of contact to troubleshoot issues in real time and proactively identify risks, Medline benefited from forward-thinking solutions tailored to their specific needs instead of being asked to conform to a one-size-fits-all approach.
Through Purolator Vision, the Medline team gained real-time shipment visibility and reporting, which became part of their daily operations. Flexible pickup schedules and dynamic pull times helped navigate sudden volume surges and unpredictable weather—which is common across Canada’s vast landscape.
Purolator also helped Medline make key sustainability and efficiency gains through their delivery and packaging methods.
Handling sensitive goods was another critical area. With items like lithium batteries and corrosives in the mix, Medline worked hand-in-hand with Purolator’s regulatory experts to meet strict dangerous goods compliance.
The result? A smarter, faster and more adaptable medical courier service, built to serve the urgent needs of healthcare providers and patients across Canada.
Results
Elevated trust and customer satisfaction with 98% on-time delivery
After switching to Purolator’s H+ program, Medline Canada’s on-time healthcare delivery skyrocketed from the mid-90s to a consistent 98%, even amid harsh Canadian weather. This boost in service reliability helped prevent surgery delays, avoided weekend mobility shortfalls (including a rush wheelchair delivery for an elderly patient) and reinforced trust across the healthcare logistics system.
Streamlining to a single logistics partner eliminated the need to manage seven carriers. This consolidation simplified operations, reduced costs and gave Medline clearer oversight of their medical supply chain.
“From a cost-to-serve and service-level perspective, I’d say our partnership with Purolator is one of the best industry-standard deals we have ever made.” – Jot Aujla, VP of Operations, Medline Canada
Purolator’s drivers consistently go beyond “drop at door,” delivering directly to reception desks, back offices and patient-care areas—a courtesy that Medline’s customers deeply appreciate. Aujla adds, “Purolator really stood out for a few reasons. They were able to meet our on-time expectations across the country, but also they were able to customize the delivery experience for our customers.”
Medline’s optimized medical courier service not only enhanced operational efficiency but positioned them to explore additional solutions—such as Purolator’s less-than-truckload (LTL) freight options—further strengthening their leadership in healthcare logistics in Canada.
Purolator's nationwide reach transformed Medline Canada's healthcare logistics
“Purolator has the most extensive network within Canada. We were able to help Medline Canada achieve, and maintain, an on-time performance of above 98%. As a result, Medline Canada has improved their customer satisfaction and healthcare logistics services significantly.” – Renata Reynolds, Sr. Account Manager, Purolator Inc.
Sr. Account Manager, Purolator Inc.
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