Lean strategies, properly applied, allow sales and operations teams within the medical device industry to scale without adding a ton of overhead.
Lean = Efficiency
Lean Operations strategies are all about efficiency: essentially doing more with less. In the unique, complex, and interconnected medical device industry, a Lean focus needs to apply to Sales, Service, Support, and Inventory Operations.
According to the American Society of Quality – “Lean is defined as a set of management practices to improve efficiency and effectiveness by eliminating waste. The core principle of lean is to reduce and eliminate non-value adding activities and waste.”
There are many ways to drive Lean operations. Implementing the right plan, developing the right processes, and using the right tools are all critical to running a Lean business. This will then drive the right behavior.
Lean Means Applying The Right Data
The best tools provide inventory teams with the best data. In the healthcare industry generally, and the medical device industry specifically–the more useful data available, the better. Once the right data is collected, analyzed, and applied the correct way, using proper input and feedback loops with continuous iterations, it becomes possible to truly drive Lean methodologies across your business.
Movemedical Advanced Analytics enables Lean operations by driving efficiency in areas previously not well understood or measured. Specifically, Demand Modeling drives efficiency for loaned inventory environments by ensuring that clients have the right allocation of assets to cover the demand on the loaner environment. Movemedical Analytics also enables Lean warehouse operations through labor balancing, by tracking user transactions from asset inspection, to pick/pack/ship, to sourcing. Movemedical Analytics also enables Lean operations by measuring,identifying, and driving inventory health, so clients are able to remove non-surgery-ready assets or waste from the ecosystem.
But capturing better data is just the beginning. There are many ways that the Movemedical tool leverages all that critical data to direct action, automate, and improve processes. Here are 7 objective made possible using Lean Strategies:
Movemedical Drives Lean Principles
- Eliminate Re-work
- Driving a clear process enforces standardized work and reduces re-work
- Scan verification reduces the risk of human error
- Order & Billing automation and accuracy minimize exception handling
- Audit scanning errors are eliminated
- Deep ERP integrations eliminate double-entry
- Minimize Time and Effort
- Automated sourcing reduces time and enables remote work
- Directed work enables operators to be successful from day one
- Clear ordering helps anyone to be successful supporting a surgical event
- HIPAA-compliant messaging linked directly to cases, orders and shipments streamlines communication
- Minimize Waste
- Modular Kitting
- Smart allocations
- Expiration and Hold Management reduce inventory waste in the field
- Real-time, user-based national visibility enables higher utilization of assets
- Self-balancing inventory reduces movements and costs
- Labor capacity planning ensures the appropriate staffing needs are covered
- Days-On-Hand metrics drive higher asset profitability while giving trained sales professionals the flexibility to meet customer expectations
- Increase Productivity
- Less busywork allows Sales & Customer Support to spend more time on value-add activities, rather than solving typical/daily communication errors
- Directed work enables accurate evaluation of productivity, giving measurable targets to drive improvements
- Optimize Inventory
- Smart asset allocation and auto-balancing
- Higher capital asset utilization
- Better Data = Smarter demand models and utilization models that drive better planning and reduce E&O liabilities
- Reduce Costs
- Reduce shipping costs through carrier integration, rate shopping, and service selection in order to meet the case requirements
- Reduction in inventory drives profitability
- Less searching and more action means more efficient use of staff resources
- Advance Scheduling
- Encouraging case scheduling by making it easy improves visibility and helps drive better performance for Customer Support, Operations, and Sales
- Advance scheduling promotes clean ordering, clear orders drive lean processes.
- When sales can meet the Leadtime and order accuracy goals, OPS can be measured against their ability to drive down support costs and ensure OTIF (On Time In Full)
Optimize Your Operations – Connect With Us
If a conversation about how to implement Lean strategies to improve your sales process and supply chain makes sense –
contact us here: info@movemedical.com / call 877.469.3992
For more information on how the right data can help optimize your inventory, check out this article:
