We’re always looking for ways to improve cleanroom workflow through whatever is necessary. While completely changing the set-up of the cleanroom might not be possible, there are simple, cost-effective measures you can take to improve your cleanroom workflow – like using barcodes.
Think about how often you see barcodes in society. They’re used in just about every warehouse and store in the world – and there’s a reason for that. They save hundreds, if not thousands, of man-hours entering data and numbers.
Could you imagine how monotonous shopping would be if we couldn’t just scan our items and check out? A cashier would have to enter number after number to ring you up. And if they were entering the price of the item, there’s a pretty good chance you’d end up paying the wrong amount.
Just like how barcodes have optimized retail stores, they have been used in dozens of industries. Event managers even use barcodes to manage event capacity. But they can also be used in particle counters and cleanrooms to optimize efficiency and mitigate risk.
And, at the end of the day, we all want to be more efficient and have confidence in our data.
Barcodes Impact On Cleanroom Efficiency
Barcodes and their managing systems are modern-day marvels when it comes to organization. They reduce human error, conserve resources, improve productivity, and save one of the most precious commodities in the world: time.
In our example of a grocery store clerk checking out your groceries by hand, we see the possibility of human error. Just one slip off the hand that adds an extra zero could set your bill off by $100. And if you just checked out a few dozen groceries, double-checking all the prices would take quite some time, if you even notice the issue. You could end up just paying the difference and not even knowing that you’re overpaying.
Barcodes also make it easier to bring new people into the cleanroom while reducing training hours. They simply need to know how to use the barcode scanner – and how to navigate the system.
But that system opens up a ton of potential opportunities for data management. Plus you can be sure that the data in the system honestly reflects what’s happening in the cleanroom.
While a barcode system can do a lot for your cleanroom, perhaps the best thing it can do is save you and your employees’ hours. In a recent study that accounted for human error, employees that manually entered data accounted for 432 real goods per hour. When using bar codes, that number increased to 1,800.
So much more can get done in that time.
Human capital is one of the most valuable commodities in a business. It’s expensive to have humans in a cleanroom and they want to optimize their time, too. Freeing them up to do their job is a valuable morale boost and improves cleanroom efficiency.
Barcodes And Laboratory Information Management Systems (LIMS)
Barcodes are such a powerful tool in every industry and they can be used in particle counting and cleanrooms really well. For example, our particle counter, the Apex Z, uses barcode scanners to improve cleanroom workflow and mitigate risk.
So how does it work?
The Apex Z uses an external USB barcode scanner to help improve workflow. It allows the user to scan the work instructions for pre-identified tags. You can scan the work instructions, start the sample at the desired location, and the tag is now assigned to that sample. The integration to the Lab Information Management System (LIMS) can take it from there cataloging this sample appropriately.
The various identifications no longer need to be hand entered, which mitigates risk to both the product and the time needed to do re-sampling and aligning to the FDA’s ALCOA guidelines.
The Apex Z & Cleanroom Workflow
Here at Lighthouse Worldwide Solutions, we take workflow very seriously. This is why we’ve developed the Apex Z: the particle counter designed to optimize cleanroom workflow and help you build a contamination control strategy. From the easily sanitizable and non-porous material it’s made of to the integrated technology, it’s a particle counter designed for playing an integral part in your contamination control strategy helping you achieve compliance and greatly improving your workflow.
It’s free from particle traps and uses real-time monitoring technology to give you confidence in knowing your cleanroom is operating as it should. Not to mention it has the longest battery life and shortest recharge time on the market.
The Apex Z was born from the idea that the workflow in the cleanroom does not need to be tedious to have the best data integrity. It is the epitome of maximization. You should always be confident in your data and contamination control strategy without feeling burdened.
To know more, please check Lighthouse.
