New warehouse, new standards: GPW Group goes wireless with testo Saveris 1

GDP-compliant warehouse monitoring in pharmaceutical wholesale distribution

As a pharmaceutical wholesaler, the GPW Group requires stable storage conditions and reliable documentation. In November 2025, the company commissioned a new pharmaceutical warehouse at its Saarbrücken site. To continuously monitor refrigerated areas from 2 to 8 °C as well as ambient areas from 15 to 25 °C in a GDP-compliant manner, the GPW Group chose the wireless testo Saveris 1 environmental monitoring system. What benefits does the new monitoring system bring to day-to-day operations? We discussed this with Dr. Pia Broxtermann, Head of Quality Management, and Quality Manager Tobias Klein.

New warehouse, new monitoring

“We built a new, larger warehouse for pharmaceuticals at our Saarbrücken site. It has been fully operational since November 2025 and comprises four storage rooms with a total area of 400 square meters,” reports Tobias Klein. With the new building, the company switched to the testo Saveris 1 environmental monitoring system: “In our previous warehouse, we used testo Saveris 2 - the predecessor system, which also worked well.” A key advantage of the new system is that it is audit-proof, GDP-compliant, and validation-ready.

Challenge

GDP-compliant monitoring in pharmaceutical warehouses

“As a pharmaceutical wholesaler, we are of course also subject to German pharmaceutical legislation, but the key requirement is the EU GDP guidelines,” explains Dr. Pia Broxtermann, referring to Good Distribution Practice. For her, the focus is on continuous monitoring of storage conditions and traceable documentation: “For us, it is crucial not only to meet the GDP requirements, but also to reflect them clearly and transparently in day-to-day operations - including during audits.”

Solution

Hardware, software, and service from a single source

“For us, it was important to get everything from a single source - from mapping and the monitoring system through to validation,” says Klein. Testo supplied the hardware and software for warehouse monitoring and carried out the mapping of the new storage rooms. During mapping, temperature distributions are measured in order to identify hot and cold spots and position the data loggers optimally. After installation, the system was validated. The new warehouse then went into operation in November 2025.

Switching to wireless monitoring

By switching to the testo Saveris 1 system, the GPW Group moved from a WLAN-based solution to an autonomous wireless system. A key argument in favor of this was independence from WLAN. The loggers transmit measured values reliably via radio and have a significantly longer battery life. With the previous data loggers, the batteries had to be replaced more frequently. This manual task is now eliminated, saving time and removing a potential source of error.

Greater safety, fewer manual tasks

Has the new system already been able to prevent product damage? “So far, we have not had any alarm cases, but the system has only been in operation for a few weeks, and our experience has definitely been good,” Tobias Klein says with a smile. “The alarm function is valuable in any case; we are already familiar with it from the predecessor system. Centralised monitoring is also straightforward. In addition, we no longer have to print out and sign reports; this is now handled digitally within the system.” Dr. Pia Broxtermann emphasises the safety aspect: “Validation by Testo provides assurance, both internally and when communicating with auditors, who are often familiar with the system. In addition, we comply with the GDP guidelines.”

Outlook

What comes next?

“Hardware, software, and service all work together - that is what makes the solution complete for us,” summarises Broxtermann. The company has also had positive experiences in the past. One additional benefit is that the environmental monitoring system can be expanded at any time. In view of the GPW Group’s dynamic development, this is an important factor, even though there are currently no specific expansion projects planned. “If new projects were already coming up just one month after implementation, we would have planned incorrectly,” adds Klein with a laugh.

Benefits at a glance

Automatic alarms: Notifications are sent in the event of limit value deviations
Digital documentation: Reports are created and signed within the system, eliminating the need for printouts
Wireless data transmission: Measured values are transmitted reliably via radio, independent of the WLAN network
Validation by Testo: Mapping, installation, and validation from a single source, recognised by auditors
Easy to expand: Additional areas and sites can be connected to the system in the future

"For us, it is crucial not only to meet the GDP requirements, but also to reflect them clearly and transparently in day-to-day operations - including during audits. Validation by Testo provides assurance internally as well as in communication with auditors, who are often familiar with the system."