Fulda, 15 May 2019
At RETTMobil 2019, Otto ID Solutions, winner of the Frankfurt Founders’ Award 2019, is presenting a world first: for the very first time, it is now possible to log the complete inventory of an ambulance’s consumables and equipment with a scan within 45 seconds.
In a close cooperation between Otto ID Solutions, BINZ GmbH and Witcotech UG, an ambulance was equipped with RFID reading devices in such a way that all objects within the ambulance could be logged and scanned with a precision of 95% within just 45 seconds.
Otto ID Solutions makes this fast logging time possible with a special combination of antennae and reading devices in the vehicle as well as new software used for logging. All consumables and equipment in the vehicle are equipped with special RFID transponders.
The solution created by Otto ID Solutions enables continuous stock tracking. When the vehicle leaves the scene of the particular mission and gets back to base, an overview of all material in the vehicle is available immediately with the higher-level warehouse software from Witcotech. This also means that crews can check that no pieces of valuable equipment (e.g. an operational bag or medical device) are left at the scene.
Further benefits are:
- Possibility of documenting for the Medical Devices Act
- Keeping a digital medication book
- Logging of calibration and service times as well as expiring shelf life just in time
- Batch traceability, with individual part registration 100% given due to possible recall actions
The software used is connected directly with the materials management system of the ambulance operator via an interface. This makes the ambulance itself the storage location for the items in inventory management. Consumables are thus not checked out until they have actually been used and not, as was the case to date, when they were loaded into the vehicle.
This results in benefits from Otto ID Solutions:
- Considerable reduction in setup and documentation times
- Reduction of safety stocks and loss of goods
- Capital tie-up can be reduced by up to 30%. This is based on empirical data from Otto ID customer projects and comparative industries
- Subsequent orders are immediately automatically stored in the system
- Connection to third-party companies (e.g. logging and tracking of laundry items, maintenance and fleet management, tools)
- Access authorisation and documented removal
Company founder and owner Karsten Otto: “Actually, the scan is already finished after around 30 seconds. The advantages of the digitalisation of logistics for emergency services and organisations with safety tasks are immense. What I am particularly pleased about from my own experience is that the employees in the emergency vehicle save a lot of personal time once their mission is completed.”