BlueBin 2-Bin Kanban System for Hospitals | Reduce Supply Costs 7%
2-bin Kanban systems for hospitals & healthcare organizations. More efficient & cost-effective with the added benefits of BlueBin’s proven system and expertise.
How 2-Bin Kanban Reduces Hospital Supply Expenses
BlueBin Kanban is the most efficient, reliable way to deliver supplies. Adapted from successful manufacturing and retail industries, BlueBin Kanban is a visual supply replenishment system that helps ensure supplies are delivered to the right place, in the right quantity, at the right time. This process provides immediate, tangible, and measurable advances in lean growth, removing ambiguities and overcompensation of supply systems.
Kanban Supply Chain Benefits & Proven Results
- Avg reduction in recurring medical supply expense – equating to millions annually 7%
- Avg reduction in overall inventory holding costs 15%
- Overall supply chain operations efficiency gained 30%
- Reduction in space needed for supplies holding 25%
The room is awesome! There’s more space for high-use items, and the workflow is much better.
Scalable Kanban Implementation for Healthcare Facilities
BlueBin’s Kanban system is the most efficient, reliable way to deliver medical supplies.
Standardized Medical Supply Inventory Process
Adapted from successful manufacturing and retail industries, BlueBin’s operation is a visual replenishment system that helps ensure supplies are delivered to the right place, in the right quantity, at the right time. This process provides immediate, tangible and measurable advances in lean growth, removing ambiguities and overcompensation of supply systems. Always providing sustainable continuous improvement.
Eliminate Excess Healthcare Inventory
BlueBin advocates patient safety by eliminating excess and obsolete supplies as it maintains the logical units-of-measure with respect to the unpredictability of healthcare environments. By cutting waste inherent in the traditional supply replenishment process including space requirements, multiple hand-offs, and time spent waiting for orders, it increases value added time by allowing clinical staff to focus on their patients instead of supplies management.
PAR Level Optimization for Hospitals
The BlueBin Daily Management System provides intuitive and user-friendly performance dashboards and reports to ensure long-term sustainability through data-driven decisions while continuously reducing medical-supply expenses. Daily checks and audits ensure uncompromising quality and promote long-term growth throughout your entire organization. BlueBin is not just a short term fix, its the long-term solution to your supply chain needs.
Easy to Manage
Easy to learn, easy to use. Universal standards—everyone works the same way, every day, to eliminate variance and promote continuous improvement. Supply areas are neat, clean, and designed to complement workflow.
Visual supply replenishment
BlueBin’s Kanban system gives you the ability to easily assess the status of any area and identify any issue at a glance. Clearly defined visual standards allow any employee to quickly learn and understand the system, and make replenishment a breeze.
Scalable Kanban Implementation
BlueBin’s Kanban does not rely on supplies kept in a central warehouse. Fill orders can be sent directly to the manufacturer or distributor with one quick scan of the bin. This enables the program to scale up or down without significant inventory holding costs.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is BlueBin's 2-bin Kanban system for hospitals, and how does it work?
BlueBin's 2-bin Kanban is a Lean, visual inventory management system designed for healthcare. Each supply item uses two bins at the point of use: when the first bin empties, it triggers automatic replenishment while staff use the second bin. This visual 'pull' process eliminates manual counting and ensures supplies reorder themselves, making hospital supply delivery efficient and reliable.
How the 2-bin system works:
- Front bin in use: Clinicians take supplies from the front bin
- Empty bin triggers order: When the front bin is empty, scan or card signals replenishment
- Back bin provides backup: Clinicians begin using the back bin while the front bin is refilled
- Continuous flow: System maintains >98% fill rate with zero manual counting
- Explore BlueBin Kanban | Watch demo video →
How does BlueBin's Kanban system automate supply reordering and prevent stockouts?
Each empty bin automatically generates a restock order at the exact moment needed. BlueBin's technology (SmartScan scanning or Kanban cards) registers the empty bin and signals a refill from central supply or distributors. This just-in-time replenishment means supplies are replaced before the second bin runs out, effectively preventing stockouts.
Stockout prevention features:
- Automatic reordering: No manual intervention required
- Dual-bin buffer: The Second bin provides safety stock
- Real-time tracking: BlueQ Analytics monitors all bins
- Predictive alerts: Early warning of supply disruptions
- Guaranteed >98% fill rate: Industry-leading availability
What cost savings and efficiency benefits can a Kanban inventory system provide in healthcare?
Hospitals implementing BlueBin's 2-bin Kanban see 5-7% reduction in annual medical supply expenses, 15-25% decrease in overall inventory, and 30% gains in supply chain operational efficiency. Additionally, Kanban-managed supply areas require up to 25% less storage space by eliminating excess stock.
Documented financial benefits:
- Supply cost reduction: 5-7% annual savings on medical supplies
- Inventory reduction: 15-25% less capital tied up in stock
- Efficiency gains: 30% improvement in supply chain operations
- Space savings: Up to 25% less storage space needed
- Labor savings: Equivalent to 7-8 FTEs through automation
- Waste elimination: <1% expirations vs. 8-10% industry average
- Real example: BJC Healthcare achieved $12.8M annual savings with 7.9x ROI over 36 months
Can BlueBin's Kanban system scale to multiple departments or hospitals?
Yes, BlueBin's Kanban system is highly scalable from a single supply room to entire multi-hospital health systems. The system doesn't rely on a central warehouse holding all inventory. Instead, it can send replenishment orders directly to manufacturers or distributors, allowing it to expand without ballooning inventory costs.
Scalability proven:
- 300+ healthcare facilities using BlueBin Kanban
- 2.2 million supply bins managed daily
- Single department to system-wide: Scales from one nursing unit to the entire IDN
- Standardized processes: Consistent visual approach replicates across all sites
- Multi-hospital deployment: BJC Healthcare implemented across 12 facilities
How does BlueBin's Kanban system improve nurses' and clinicians' efficiency?
BlueBin's Kanban system returns up to 50% of the time clinicians previously spent managing supplies back to patient care. By taking over the burden of supply tracking and reordering, nurses no longer need to spend hours hunting down supplies or performing inventory counts. The Kanban process keeps supplies topped up automatically.
Clinical efficiency improvements:
- 50% time savings: Nurses reclaim 30+ minutes per shift from supply tasks
- Zero manual counting: 83% reduction in counting burden
- Organized supply areas: Easy-to-navigate, logical layout
- Always available: >98% fill rate means supplies are there when needed
- Reduced frustration: Einstein Medical Center achieved Magnet status citing BlueBin as '#1 contributing factor'
- Documented impact: Hospitals report returning 14,000+ clinical hours annually to patient care
How do you guarantee 99.9% fill rate in hospital inventory management?
Our guarantee is backed by four mechanisms:
- Visual Kanban methodology: Immediate visibility when supplies run low, preventing stockouts before they occur
- Daily Management System: Structured daily rounds, huddles, and issue escalation ensure problems are caught and resolved within 24 hours
- Perpetual inventory tracking: BlueQ Analytics provides real-time visibility and predictive alerts 5-7 weeks before potential stockouts
- Dedicated implementation support: Our teams stay on-site until systems are fully established and your staff is certified through the BlueBelt program
Unlike technology solutions that rely on users to "use the system correctly," our process discipline ensures performance regardless of individual behaviors.
What happens to our existing supply chain staff?
BlueBin doesn't eliminate jobs; we redeploy talent to higher-value activities. Facilities typically achieve 30% operational efficiency gains, freeing staff time from manual counting, requisition processing, and emergency supply runs.
Most organizations redeploy this capacity to:
- Strategic sourcing and contract negotiations
- Value analysis and standardization initiatives
- Data analytics and continuous improvement
- Expansion to additional departments or facilities
BJC Healthcare valued resource redeployment at $1.9M annually, with clinical and supply chain staff redirected to patient care and strategic initiatives.
Ready To Get Started?
Contact us today to discuss our 2-Bin Kanban systems for healthcare!