The term ‘mission critical asset’ may inspire thoughts of the latest James Bond movie but in reality no matter the operating environment, there are numerous pieces of equipment, devices and tools that help businesses to operate more efficiently and, more crucially, to increase safety.
Here Julian Adams, Managing Director at Apex Supply Chain Technologies highlights the invaluable role technology can play in helping businesses to manage risk, while improving accountability and control.
Regardless of the environment, there are numerous operational assets that organisations require in order to operate safely and effectively day-to-day. While some equipment may be deemed ‘mission critical’, availability of stock in general has a huge impact on the efficiency of a site, and this can become particularly problematic when companies are reliant on manual distribution, counting and auditing processes.
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is one example, which if not managed correctly, can negatively affect operational efficiency and even have dire consequences. Employees dependent on specific equipment, supplies and materials to do their jobs, can spend inordinate amounts of time searching for these items in stores, resulting in loss of productivity for their company. Equally, in the event of individuals using the wrong PPE materials or indeed no PPE materials at all, safety could be jeopardised. The ultimate goal for a business therefore is for mission critical PPE materials to be managed, trackable, and always available to workers where and when they need them and this applies equally to equipment such as breathing apparatus, protective gear and consumable supplies such as gloves and glasses. Automated dispensing systems that are strategically placed in areas that are easily accessible to workers are the solution. These systems are smart.
They can ensure workers always get the correct equipment and materials to keep them safe and productive.
Through greater integration of stores, operations and ultimately the purchasing teams, it is possible to mitigate against any potential risk to employee health and safety.
Dispensing PPE – a potential solution Designed for dispensing PPE and other consumable items, automated vending technologies bring a wealth of opportunity to businesses by providing 24/7 access and availability to critical items, helping to improve control and accountability throughout an organisation.
Every Apex device is an internet device controlled by the Trajectory Cloud which stores the individual’s job and health and safety requirements.
With the ability to log items being dispensed, intelligent automated dispensing solutions can automatically generate time and date stamped documentation – providing the employer with a clear and auditable trail of their fulfilment of legal safety requirements.
As inventory quantities are maintained by the Trajectory Cloud in real time, once the system has been configured there is no risk of running out of stock or ordering the wrong equipment, which in turn helps to maintain productivity and safety while reducing the costs associated with latency, ordering incorrect or last-minute supplies.
Apex Supply Chain Technologies is the only automated dispensing technology provider to date that is powered by Trajectory Cloud. These simple and elegant Connect n’ Go systems plug into a standard electrical socket, connect to the Internet via Ethernet cable, Wi-Fi or cellular connection and are ready to go. The Apex proprietary Trajectory Cloud platform provides 24/7 visibility, alerts and reporting through a browser, anytime, anywhere, allowing businesses to improve productivity, visibility, reliability and accessibility of stock and mission critical supplies and materials as well as track usage patterns and trends.
Automated dispensing technology is one proven solution that can help businesses to not only minimise downtime and eliminate stock-outs, but perhaps more importantly, maintain the safety of operations and improve the accountability of a company’s health and safety policy in the process.
For more information about Apex Supply Chain Technologies and the Automated Dispensing solutions for PPE, please visit www.apexsupplychain.com/gb/perso nal-protective-equipment/, email info.eu@apexsupplychain.com, or call 0800 840 4776.
Tel: 0800 840 4776
Email: info.eu@apexsupplychain.com
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