Secure shipment of card terminals

Digital logistics solution facilitates digitalisation of the healthcare sector

Greater security and transparency through IT-controlled monitoring, automated status notifications and a personal handover to authorised recipients: How the trans-o-flex Ident Service became a part of a TÜV SÜD-certified logistics chain

“The digitalisation of the healthcare sector also requires new digital solutions in logistics. We are a prime example of this,” says Wolfgang Stauch. He is Managing Director of the CGM Medical IT Solutions and Services GmbH company that is based in Koblenz. The subsidiary of CompuGroup Medical SE & Co. KGaA, one of the world’s leading e-health companies, specialises in telematics infrastructure solutions in the healthcare sector. One of its key pillars in this is E-Health card terminals. “The terminals not only facilitate the reading of electronic health cards (eGK), but also the use of qualified electronic signatures and additional functions. And due to the fact these involve highly sensitive data, we require a highly secure logistics chain for the delivery of the terminals. We need to know at all times where the goods are and ensure that they are exclusively delivered to authorised persons. All of this must be digitally documented and transmitted in real time. Because trans-o-flex already had a proven solution for such cases, we entered a business partnership.”

Since January 2024, trans-o-flex has been collecting consignments on a daily basis from CGM’s headquarters in Koblenz, which are delivered exclusively using the Ident Service. “Using this digitally controlled specialist service, we ensure that a consignment is only handed over to an authorised person who can identify themselves accordingly,” says Eugen Günther, Chief Sales Officer at trans-o-flex. “If the recipient cannot identify themselves, the delivery driver can only continue working after entering a specific status message in his handheld device, taking the consignment back and, once the tour has been completed, delivering it to the trans-o-flex branch in a specially secured area. The consignment is kept there until the sender instructs what should be done with it.”

CGM has its headquarters in Koblenz. © GMG

trans-o-flex Ident Service offers two different variants (see below: How both variants of the Ident Service work) for the authorisation of the recipient. In both cases, the recipient identifies themselves using an individual QR code. “However, CGM wanted an additional level of service, which we also already organise on request for other customers,” Günther reveals.

trans-o-flex documents every change of location and every transfer of responsibility for a consignment by scanning the package. “At CGM, we provide these scan data automatically and pro-actively. This means the customer does not have to retrieve the information, but instead we transmit every new status update directly into the customer’s transport management system.” While most customers only wish to be informed about exceptions in the process, CGM achieves two objectives through this seamless and automated documentation. “On the one hand, the company uses our information as documentary proof of a secure supply chain for its supervisory authority.” To this end, the trans-o-flex documentation process was integrated into a secure supply chain that is certified by TÜV SÜD. The customer therefore always knows where its card readers are and can demonstrate this through the scan data. “At the same time, CGM also makes the consignment information available to its own customers, ensuring that they can also monitor the status of the consignment at any time.”

In the central production facility of CGM IT Solutions und Services GmbH, every server and client is inspected and configured in line with the customer’s individual requirements prior to delivery. This makes installation on the customer’s premises considerably faster. © GMG

Finally, CGM has all Ident consignments delivered as express parcels by 10:00 a.m. or 12:00 noon on the next working day. “However, there are also particularly time-critical consignments which are organised via our Special Service,” adds Günther. In such situations, a CGM employee calls their contacts in the trans-o-flex Special Services division directly and instructs them: “You need to pick up goods in Koblenz within two hours today.” A direct delivery from the customer’s logistics centre to the recipient of the goods is then organised to meet this requirement.

CGM has also been using trans-o-flex to deliver additional consignments in Germany since the beginning of 2026. “Following one year of positive experiences with the trans-o-flex Ident Service, we issued a new tender for our parcel distribution volumes, and trans-o-flex was awarded the contract for express consignments,” says Stauch. “Since the recipient groups of trans-o-flex and CGM overlap to a marked extent, this proved to be an excellent fit.”

This is what one type of the card-reading devices looks like that CGM ships via the Ident service of trans-o-flex. Since the device reads the health insurance cards of insured persons, it may only be delivered if the recipient can identify themselves using an individual QR code. © Cherry

How both variants of the Ident Service work

© Adobe Stock/TommyNa

How both variants of the Ident Service work

The trans-o-flex Ident Service was developed for particularly sensitive or high-value consignments that may only be delivered to a specified person or at a specified location. This specialist service guarantees this by delivering the consignment only when the recipient can identify themselves using an individual QR code. The recipient can obtain this code in two different ways.

In the standard variant, the code can be accessed via the trans-o-flex recipient app by the name of insight. “This is especially suitable for regular recipients who use the app anyway,” explains trans-o-flex Chief Sales Officer Eugen Günther. “What’s more, this option reduces the workload for the sender.”

With the solution for app users, the sender only needs to enter the email address used for the Insight app in the accompanying dataset, whilst also indicating that the Ident Service is required. trans-o-flex then generates a random alphanumeric identification code and makes it available to the recipient in the form of a QR code via the insight app.

Using the alternative solution, the sender specifies the identification code themselves and provides it to both the recipient and trans-o-flex. The recipient can receive the QR code by email as a PDF file or in the traditional way by post. trans-o-flex receives the QR code from the sender together with the dataset of the respective consignment via an XML interface.

In both cases, the delivery driver scans the consignment before handover and automatically receives a notification on the handheld device that the recipient must identify themselves using an identification code. The recipient can present the code either in printed form or on their smartphone. The recipient then receives the consignment and confirms receipt with their signature. By allowing the ident code to be printed, the ident service enables both designated persons to prove they are authorised recipients and for locations (where the barcode is affixed) to be declared authorised drop-off points.

Wolfgang Stauch, Managing Director of CGM IT Solutions und Services GmbH, © CGM

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