Corporate collaboration is the key to a successful business - and communication problems can often cause trouble in a large company. But imagine if your customers were doctors and hospitals and lives could be put at risk if your product were not delivered on time.

AAH Pharmaceuticals is the British wholesale and distribution arm of European drug wholesaler Gehe AG, and is one of Britain's largest drug companies. With more than 18,000 accounts on its drug-ordering system, the company has 40% of the British drugs market, supplying hospitals and independent pharmacies. The group also owns the Lloyds chain of pharmacies.

The company makes two drug deliveries a day to customers, ensuring their stock levels are quickly replenished and always up to date - in many cases, the success of their system really can be life or death. The logistics are frightening, and more than 1m doses a day are delivered.

However, dealing with drugs and forecasting demand can be a tricky business. A flu outbreak elsewhere in the world can lead to supply problems here. According to Gehe UK group IT director Stephen Agar-Hutty, the answer was collaboration software.

"I'd seen a few demonstrations of this kind of software and knew we had to have it," he says. "The problem was deciding what application to roll out first. We decided that some kind of system whereby we can let suppliers around the world warn us of impending shortages and also keep us updated on their stock levels, was the perfect fit for our first application."

AAH now has what is effectively an early warning system for drug shortages. The collaboration software, supplied by Eqos, alerts the company to potential problems...