ABOUT SENDX
SenDx, Medical Inc. is a mid-size medical device manufacturer. Within an ISO level 8 cleanroom environment, they manufacture medical and industrial instruments, blood analysis systems, and disposables based on ISFET technology.
PROBLEM
Prior to a Thomas Inventory Management Solution, SenDx used an internal Kanban system with an employee in each section of the facility in charge of inventory counts at the end of their shift. With various people in charge of inventory counts depending on the day, this type of system left a lot of room for human error: employees often forgot to record numbers, recorded wrong numbers, never followed up on orders, and more. On top of that, a lack of space meant SenDx could not store an excess of overstock inventory, which left a constant worry of experiencing very costly line-downs.
WHY A THOMAS INVENTORY MANAGEMENT SOLUTION?
As it became clear that SenDx's inventory management system was not working, Thomas Scientific offered an efficient, all-encompassing solution. Instead of an unorganized, ineffective system of tracking inventory, the TIMS program provided SenDx with one expert representative to manage all of their inventory.
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SYSTEM IMPLEMENTATION
With a level 3 Thomas Inventory Management Solution, a Thomas representative visits SenDx twice a week to stock and count inventory. Not only does this allow for an easy, error-reducing process, but more frequent visits also mean that it is no longer necessary for SenDx to dedicate their already-minimal space to housing excess inventory. In addition, whereas they previously stocked their own bins internally, the TIMS representative delivers products from the warehouse directly to the final point of use.
As a cost-efficient solution, just by choosing TIMS over any other VMI service, SenDx saved around $134,000 in the year 2020 alone. TIMS has provided SenDx with additional cost savings by proactively monitoring and predicting inventory needs, successfully reducing risks of production shutdowns due to insufficient stock of vital items (preventing potential costs of around $75,000 an hour during line-downs). This new system even saves employees' time that can now be reallocated towards revenue-generating work.
LOOKING FORWARD
SenDx has seen great benefit since the implementation of a TIMS program, and Thomas plans to continue this success by scaling the program through new strategic initiatives. In the near future, Thomas plans to transition from physical product sheets to our ClearSpider program to streamline the inventory management process and further reduce human error. Additionally, the Thomas team is considering the potential of a vending machine VMI to reduce contact with products, an additional safety measure for employees.
Serving the scientific community for over 120 years, we put our customers first!
Thomas Scientific has partnered with hundreds of customers to provide best-in-class vendor managed inventory programs with you in mind. We have a proven track record to manage customer inventory freeing you up to manage your business.
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