Cut Inventory Waste with Lean Supply
Labs generate ~5.5 million metric tons of plastic waste each year (≈2% of global total), producing up to 12× more waste per square foot than offices. In healthcare, 8–10% of disposables expire on shelves annually—driving both cost and environmental impact.
Order Right
Demand-driven replenishment (Grab&Go with automated RFID signals).
Small-batch E-shop (single-case, no MOQ) to prevent forced hoarding.
Use Fresh
FEFO (first-expiry, first-out) standard.
Near-expiry alerts: markdown, swap, or redeploy before waste happens.
Ship Smart
Cadence shipping & consolidation; ambient over cold where safe.
Exception board for stockouts/urgent orders with clear SLAs.
Evidence from Practitioners
Plastic Reduction
University of Edinburgh (Roslin Institute) cut single-use plastics in a microbiology lab via reduction/reuse protocols—showing lab processes can measurably lower plastic waste and cost.
Supply Efficiency
Northwestern Medicine (11 hospitals, 37 departments) reported 78% improvement in product expirations, 50% less supply waste, and 11% less owned inventory after deploying RFID-enabled supply management.
Inventory Accuracy
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center publicly documents RFID adoption to automate replenishment and improve inventory accuracy and speed.
What we’ll measure
Inventory & Orders
Measures emergency-order rate, expiry and obsolescence (E&O) as a percentage of COGS, and stockout rate—ensuring labs consistently minimize wasted resources while improving supply chain performance and stability.
Efficiency & Flow
Tracks days-in-inventory (DIO), overall inventory turns, and storage volume per 10,000 orders—showing how efficiently supplies move through the system, optimizing space, and supporting smoother lab operations.
Standards & Data
Evaluates compliance using a shared SKU master for specifications, sterility, material, and compliance, with a unified FEFO standard and consistent UTM/data dictionary across both E-shop and Grab&Go platforms.
