Celsis Provides Guidance to Improve Communication, Streamline Processes and Increase Profitability

With conversations between Senior Management and the head of Quality focused on the bottom line and departmental expenditures, ideas for cost-effective ways to improve processes are many times overlooked. As spring approaches, it is time to clean up the conversation and discuss ways to streamline manufacturing processes and increase profitability.

Celsis Rapid Detection - a global leader in rapid microbial methods - recommends an often overlooked discussion topic that can lower overall business costs: rapid microbial testing. Below, Celsis provides answers to three questions that are likely to arise as Senior Management and Quality start the conversation about adopting rapid methods.

1. Why now?
With spring right around the corner, many companies are re-evaluating department budgets, opening the door for a discussion on adopting rapid microbial testing. It's a science, yes, and perhaps not Senior Management's area of expertise. But don't assume that the expert from the micro lab is going to approach senior executives with a proposal to increase its budget, even if it does lower overall business costs. Remember, their marching orders include keeping expenses low.

Since the costs of adopting a rapid method fall under the Quality department, yet the savings accrue to Manufacturing, it's not easy for individual departments to see beyond their budgets to the larger - and readily achievable -- opportunity of saving the company time and money every day-with every production run. But, when they do, it's obvious that rapid microbial testing is a significant source of savings.

2. Why rapid microbial testing?
In lean manufacturing terms, saving days in the production cycle translates into significant, quantifiable savings in reduced inventory requirements, shortened lead time and faster recovery from contamination events. Using traditional microbial limits methods, inventory can be held in micro-hold for 3-7 days in order to detect contamination; sterility testing adds 14-21 days.

This time is expensive: it significantly impacts manufacturing efficiency, responsiveness and working capital requirements, all of which ultimately affect your company's profitability and bottom line. Adopting a rapid microbial method reduces the number of days needed to complete testing. In fact, rapid methods allow products to be incubated, tested and released in as few as 24 hours-resulting in reduced inventory and warehouse space.

3. How will spending now save money later?
If your Quality department is concerned about adding rapid methods to their budget, they may not understand the value of a high-throughput screening system. It is true that the Quality department will have to increase its budget for a rapid system, but it will save your company much more in the long run. It often takes someone looking at the larger, facility-wide financial picture to see the opportunity.

Rapid methods can lead to savings by reducing contamination recovery and warehouse space costs, as well as decreasing investment in safety stock and finished goods. The many environmental benefits of rapid methods, including reductions in waste and in water and energy consumption, are often overlooked, but can lead to significant savings, too. Some rapid system manufacturers offer tools, such as the financial and environmental impact assessments available from Celsis, which enable companies to estimate the value of adopting a rapid system using readily available data.

Now is the time to propose rapid methods to your Quality department leaders. Once they understand that the company-wide benefits of faster release time far outweigh the incremental costs of a rapid system, you'll be able to work together to find the right system to deliver bottom-line benefits; giving a fresh perspective to the budget.