Scientific institutes typically have a complex system for providing materials to researchers whose work is funded by grants. Researchers need a variety of goods and must bill the grant supporting their research. Most institutes either staff a storage area with someone who can record and approve every transaction, or install locked cabinets, in order to provide goods to authorized individuals and create an invoice for the appropriate party. Learn how the Stowers Institute is using a fully integrated RFID scientific stockroom at which individuals can select the products they need, automatically billing the items to a specific grant. Known internally as “The Cube,” the system allows researchers to shop for scientific goods strategically placed in the storeroom, compare prices and make selections. Once a researcher has selected items, he or she uses a fingerprint at the checkout station to gain authorization. With simply a touch of a button, all items are automatically scanned, charged to the appropriate funding source and sent to the procurement system for replenishment. Alternatively, if a researcher doesn’t know where the item is located, he or she can use the software to look it up and find its location within the room. The Cube is designed to be part stockroom, part convenience store and part showroom, and the space enables the facility to increase merchandise diversity for the scientists, by stocking more items and decreasing costs.
Speaker:
Jessica Witt, Head, Research Systems, Stowers Resource Management