Barcode Inventory Management SystemMaximise quality, efficiency and stock availability in a busy laboratory environment.
The Barcode Inventory Management System (BIMS) has been developed in the U.K. to provide
- A flexible and easy ordering system with approval delegated to the appropriate teams and automated e-mail orders.
- Real-time stock detail across multiple sites and storage areas.
- Effective stock rotation through alerts on issues to avoid errors.
- High availability via warnings on predicted shortages or inappropriate issues.
- Robust traceability with customised reporting for access to the full audit trail supporting internal and external audits.
- Quarantine options support controlled reagent use with user-defined rules on release criteria.
- Quality records – storage of reagent assessment data.
- Flexibility for reagents from multiple suppliers.
Benefits
The BIMS system was designed with ISO 15189 requirements in mind and can be run with inventory from several suppliers or in conjunction with the Siemens Healthineers FAST reagent delivery service.
- Each product lot has its details loaded by scanning the package’s GS1 barcode. Individual packs are then labelled with unique 2D barcode labels displaying the product name, GTIN, batch number, expiry date, delivery date and unique identification.
- The shipment can be quarantined at delivery and each lot released once validated. Every movement of the pack is tracked from receipt to move to issue, and it can take seconds to record each step.
- Stock levels can be optimised to match the storage space available and order quantities are based on real-time inventory.
- A single batch of reagent can be moved to quarantine on delivery and may not be issued for use until released. The release process can require confirmation by a colleague to help prevent errors and an option is available to store data from the reagent evaluation in the BIMS database.
- If required, a full reagent delivery can be unpacked to quarantine status and manually released by staff with sufficient permissions. Product records can be found via delivery, product, or batch for a quick and simple release process.
- Efficiency is enhanced by warnings to help prevent use of reagent not yet assessed.
- Time and cost savings could result from the clear and traceable approval process in BIMS. Unnecessary calibrations can be avoided, and downtime minimised where accepted reagent is used first.
- Reliable ordering, based on your true stock is achieved with advised order quantities in BIMS. A minimum and maximum quantity may be set for each product and the advised order subtracts the current stock to estimate ordering quantities. BIMS orders can be reviewed and edited for each laboratory section before validation and confirmation with the supplier.
- BIMS messaging section with visibility on order status across the organisation supports efficient teamwork.
- The order details can be automatically emailed to the supplier to ensure deadlines are met.
- Accuracy of ordering is enhanced by reporting on stocks in each facility / area / location and use of stock over time. System reports showing deliveries, stock and issues over a user-specified period support review of issues with stock not moving or being over / under-stocked.
The BIMS system was designed with ISO 15189 requirements in mind and can be run with inventory from several suppliers or in conjunction with the Siemens Healthineers FAST reagent delivery service.
- Each product lot has its details loaded by scanning the package’s GS1 barcode. Individual packs are then labelled with unique 2D barcode labels displaying the product name, GTIN, batch number, expiry date, delivery date and unique identification.
- The shipment can be quarantined at delivery and each lot released once validated. Every movement of the pack is tracked from receipt to move to issue, and it can take seconds to record each step.
- Stock levels can be optimised to match the storage space available and order quantities are based on real-time inventory.
Technical Details
In the box
The BIMS system from Siemens Healthineers comprises
- Mobile barcode reader*
- Label printer *
- BIMS MS SQL Server database
* at least one for each laboratory section.
Screen design
Simplicity comes from good screen design. Traffic light colour-coding uses red where data needs to be manually added like an expiry date. The controls include a ‘check’ option to quickly confirm that the stock is accurate for any product or location using the reader.
Reporting
The system comes with four fixed reports plus a flexible report tool and output to PDF, Excel, RTF or CSV.
- Stock Totals report
- Stock Locations report
- Stock Costs report
- Analyser Issue report
Requirements
The software is installed on the local hospital network requiring a minimum server specification of Windows 2008 R2 Server, 4GB RAM, Intel® Xeon CPU @ 2.00GHz, MS SQL Server 2012 with .NET framework. A full technical specification is available on request.
Client configuration uses USB connection for the handheld barcode scanner device cradle connection and local Windows printers for report printing. Portable printers connect one-to-one via Bluetooth© to the handheld barcode scanner device.
A secure Wi-Fi network is useful at each storage location and instrument area. When Wi-Fi drops, or is unavailable to the users, the provided handheld cradle will upload the data through the network infrastructure on the attached PC as a contingency.
The BIMS system can use the local email system for outbound emails. Remote access to the BIMS server is required for support and upgrades of the system.
Evidence
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