Optimize healthcare workwear inventory and expenses

MULTINATIONAL HEALTHCARE PHARMACEUTICAL COMPANY deploys Polytex workwear management solutions to optimize healthcare workwear inventory and expenses, improve distribution, and control processes.

Background

This multinational healthcare company is a global leader in developing and manufacturing pharmaceuticals and diagnostic products. With advanced research and development operations located around the world, the company is at the forefront of innovation in a wide range of clinical areas. It has developed numerous breakthrough pharmaceuticals and diagnostic tests that address critical conditions in oncology, infectious diseases, dermatology, cardiology, ophthalmology and more.

Optimize healthcare workwear inventory and expenses

Top Five Achievements

Using Polytex Technology, the healthcare
company was able to:

  1. Cut laundry service costs by 95%
  2. Reduce lab workwear inventory by 66%
  3. Track and control workwear inventory
  4. Roll out automated workwear management to multiple departments
  5. Streamline workwear distribution processes
Optimize healthcare workwear inventory and expenses

Customer Testimonials

With Polytex, we decreased our workwear maintenance costs from the first machine and optimized our processes. We know exactly how many garments we own and have control over our laundry expenses. Now we‘re planning to expand to other groups within the company and have already ordered more Polytex distribution systems.

Senior Category Manager

Sourcing and Procurement

Customer Needs

A division of the company was facing excessive expenses for personal workwear for its laboratory staff. Each employee received three lab coats and, regardless of how many were used, the laundry service charged a set fee. When the company discovered that many lab coats were not being used and that it was paying for more than 7000 lab coats for employees who had since left the company, it looked for a way to better control the workwear and reduce overall costs.

Requirements

The company decided to purchase its own lab coats, creating a pool of workwear for use by all lab staff. As a result, it
company’s key goals and requirements were:

  • Replace personal lab coats with pooled ones: To reduce inventory and allow effective management of workwear
  • Optimize workwear management: To track utilization, control inventory and improve distribution efficiency
  • Support multi-part uniforms: To expand the program and enable distribution of pooled pants, shirts and jackets for logistics and other teams
  • Comply with strict security protocols: It needed a solution that could be customized to support company-specific security mechanisms

The Solution

To better control workwear distribution and reduce its inventory and laundry expenses, the healthcare company chose to implement a fully automated - workwear management system from Polytex. It took the following steps:

  • Acquired its first Polytex garment workwear automation system: The company ordered the Polytex solution in 2017 as a pilot project focused on workwear for lab staff. The garment dispensing and collecting machines were customized to meet company-specific security requirements.
  • Replaced personal lab coats with pooled ones: Instead of every lab worker keeping three lab coats, they now take out one at a time, returning it before getting a clean replacement.
  • Streamlined workwear distribution: Instead of manually distributing clean lab coats to the workers‘ lockers, the service provider loads them into the Polytex automated dispensing units.
    Switched to a volume-based laundry model: The company now only pays for cleaning the garments that are sent to the laundry.
  • Added more Polytex systems for other departments: Adding a second set of Polytex uniform dispensing and collecting machines, the company replaced individual uniforms for logistics staff with pooled sets of pants, shirts and jackets.

Results

Having implemented the Polytex automated workwear management solution for lab staff, the company is now spending a fraction of what it used to on lab coats and laundry services.

Significant laundry service savings
The company cut payments to the laundry service for lab coats by 95%.
Operational efficiency
Polytex machines improved management processes and helped cut costs by enabling the company to reduce its workwear inventory by two-thirds.
Effective monitoring and tracking
The company can easily keep track of inventory and ensure it is paying the laundry service only for items that are sent to be washed.
Efficient distribution
Workers don‘t keep extra workwear in their lockers, and only take what they need from the Polytex
-dispensing units.

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