RF-SMART Blog

Cloud-Based Inventory Management for the Life Sciences Industry

Written by Abby Bennett | November 27, 2023

Life Sciences companies provide products to support biological necessities. These businesses manufacture and track many different types of inventory, including medical devices, biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, supplements, and genomics.

With intricate and complex products comes inventory compliance and regulatory needs - and that’s where technology becomes critical. A mobile data collection solution, like RF-SMART, allows for full inventory control for the Life Sciences industry. 

Why Mobile Technology Is Critical

For companies in the Life Sciences space, the stakes are raised as their inventory is vital for providing life-saving care to patients. Since each product is often associated with a dedicated lot and/or serial number, many of these companies choose to navigate this complexity by investing in Oracle’s Cloud ERP. To extend the Oracle data functionality to the users on the warehouse floor, companies around the world have implemented RF-SMART. This handheld automation extends Oracle to the warehouse floor, eliminating manual data entry, increasing accuracy, and enhancing the ROI of your Oracle Cloud investment.

Use Cases for Mobile Inventory Management in Life Sciences Industry 

To effectively manage your Life Sciences products, you will want to choose a supply chain management solution that optimizes the below processes: 

Quality Control and Inspections 

A capable inventory management software will guide Life Sciences users through the inspection of products upon receiving and throughout their supply chain. This can happen in various ways, including:

  • Quarantining material
  • Printing quality assurance (QA) tags
  • Spot-checking items 
  • Regulating temperature-controlled products 

RF-SMART’s Quality Inspection Solution for Oracle Cloud accomplishes these needs, by allowing staff to utilize their mobile handheld scanners to complete inspections from anywhere. This solution works in tandem with Oracle’s inherent Quality Management Module, providing users with the easiest access to complete inspections as part of their manufacturing, maintenance, or receiving process. 

Lot and Serial Traceability 

Tracking lot and/or serial numbers allows companies to identify individual pieces or groups of products, which is often necessary for compliance with industry regulations. With RF-SMART, data is captured in real-time, creating a clear inventory audit trail available for future reference. For even more time savings, all expiration dates are tracked and data is prepopulated from the Advanced Shipment Notice (ASN). 

Additionally, many of these customers need the ability to print item lot/serial labels before production.  RF-SMART mobility allows users to design and print labels for all inventory items, increasing inventory visibility and optimizing organization in the warehouse.  

Inventory Management 

Life Sciences companies are often dealing with multiple factors that further complicate inventory organization, including expiration dates, raw goods, and compliance standards. Using Oracle Cloud and RF-SMART mobility can help untangle these complexities and increase inventory control in the warehouse.  Inventory transactions including putaway, picking, manufacturing, and counting, can all be accomplished with barcode scanning. With RF-SMART, all inventory information is automatically updated from the handheld scanners, bypassing tedious data entry and user errors.  
 


With all these considerations in mind, you need industry experts supporting your supply chain through purpose-built software and hardware solutions. From warehouse printing to quality control processes, our team can help you configure the best supply chain for a smooth experience. Set up a call with our Life Sciences inventory experts today.