The laboratory makes up many custom reagents every day each requiring a specific label. Image: Unsplash, Louis Reed.

This biotechnology company was growing rapidly. Its reagent preparation laboratory made up a large number of custom reagents every day It was under pressure to support the other company laboratories engaged in research and a clinical trials.

They had an extensive laboratory information management system. It did not have barcode tracking capability, a low priority for the company as a whole

Reagent preparation problems

1. Many of the reagents had a limited shelf life. They had to be retrieved and replaced before they expired.
2. The laboratory has to put a hazardous materials label on each container of reagent. This has many fields to be completed individually. Manual preparation was time consuming.
3. The laboratory has to log all its hazardous substances, raw materials and reagents. Hazardous materials reporting from a manual log was time consuming.

To solve these problems, the company decided implemented a BellHawk barcode tracking system on PCs with scanners at work stations. One of these stations has a barcode printer to print out the hazardous materials labels.

Barcode tracking process

1. Enter data for each new reagent into the BellHawk.
2. For each container of reagent to be prepared, use the BellHawk database to print out a label with hazardous materials information and a tracking barcode.
3. When a reagent has been prepared, scan the tracking barcode to record completion and issue to the laboratory that requested it.
4. The system reports on all reagents that are about to pass their expiration dates. These are retrieved if the laboratories have not used or discarded therm.
5. Label and track containers of hazardous materials received from suppliers.
6. Generate hazardous materials reports directly from their BellHawk database.

Barcode tracking is now essential for controlling reagent expiry dates across the company. It has cut manual paperwork in the reagent preparation laboratory. These results translate into increased productivity and capacity for growth.