If you work at a medical center, the last thing that you want to deal with is running out of a crucial medical supply. However, you might not have a thorough inventory control system in place to make sure that you are on top of your inventory. Here are some tips for creating an inventory control plan to make sure that you always have the inventory and supplies that you need.

1. Figure Out the Buying Cycle for Each Item

A buying cycle is how often you purchase the particular item. It could be weekly, monthly, yearly, or something in between. You need to figure out what it is for each item and about how much stock that you need per cycle. Then, you need to purchase enough of that item so that you will be covered for two full buying cycles.

2. Make Bundles

Take the entire shipment of each item and separate it into its two buying cycles. Join these together by tying them together or putting them in a box. Then, for each bundle, attach a reusable tag. This tag should have the vendor from which the item was ordered, the amount that needs to be ordered per buying cycle, and a rough outline of the buying cycle itself. Whenever this bundle gets used up, the second bundle should start being used and the tag of the first bundle should go in a box or an envelop that is marked "reorder." Every week, someone in your office will need to go through that envelope and reorder everything based on the tags in it. This will allow you to get on a regular cycle for purchasing the supplies that your medical center needs. 

3. Assign an Inventory Control Staff

Finally, when you get the new shipment, be sure that the only person that opens it is a person on the inventory supply staff. Do not allow anyone to grab things from it. Have the inventory control person go through it and make sure that everything is there. Then, have him or her remake the bundles and reattach the tags so that it will be easy to reorder again in the future.

For more information, talk to an inventory control system company, like Instant Inventory Service. They will be able to provide you with an inventory control plan and recommended technologies to automate your overall inventory control system. This will allow you to spend much less time on it.