Cardinal Health Inc. will expand its pharmaceutical distribution network with a new 230,000 square-foot forward distribution center in Indianapolis; a flagship facility the company says will set a new standard for automation in the industry.
Scheduled to open in fall 2027, the Indianapolis site will support more than 70,000 daily pharmaceutical and specialty deliveries nationwide. The project is expected to create over 100 jobs in Indiana, which Cardinal Health described as a strategic transit hub for its supply chain.
The facility will feature what the company called the pharmaceutical industry’s first robotic storage and retrieval system, developed with automation partner Swisslog. The system integrates robotics, conveyance, and sorting to provide real-time inventory visibility and streamline order fulfillment.
“This facility is part of our long-term strategy to modernize the distribution network, improve productivity, and ensure we can serve customers with speed and reliability,” said Jamie Barker, senior vice president of pharmaceutical and specialty supply chain operations.
The Indianapolis announcement builds on Cardinal’s broader push to expand and modernize its logistics network. Earlier this year, the company opened a 350,000-square-foot consumer health logistics center in Groveport, Ohio, designed as a centralized replenishment hub for over-the-counter products. That facility uses automation and a hub-and-spoke model to optimize inventory across the company’s pharmaceutical distribution network.
Debbie Weitzman, chief executive of Cardinal Health’s pharmaceutical and specialty Solutions segment, said both investments are part of a multi-year strategy to expand capacity and improve efficiency. “Expanding and modernizing our distribution footprint reinforces our ability to drive growth and support our teams,” she said.
Cardinal Health, based in Dublin, Ohio, is one of the three largest pharmaceutical distributors in the United States, along with McKesson and Cencora (formerly AmerisourceBergen).
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