Two systems have been packed with new features to allow users to meet the current and future challenges faced in the sphere of large scale compound and sample storage
RTS Life Science International has just completed a development programme for its d-Sprint and Store Inventory System (SIS) software.
This has resulted in an increase in the packages' capacity, speed, accuracy and reliability.
Significantly, both systems have been packed with new features which allow RTS's customers to meet the current and future challenges faced in the sphere of large scale compound and sample storage.
Historically, RTS's SIS has linked in to its customer's own software which tracks the contents of the various vessels via bar codes. However, recently RTS has been taking a more active part in the development of compound management systems.
The company now offers a consultancy to further develop an existing system, adding new features and upgrading where necessary.
This service is provided by the RTS Informatics Group which specialises in tailored software solutions.
David Harding, business development manager, commented: "Our d-Sprint software now enables the client to process multiple requests in parallel.
This involves complex routing on the conveyor belts to ensure that a users complete order stays together and arrives at the weighing station at the same time.
We are even able to build in special category of rush order which takes precedence over the others.
We have also been developing a high level of automatic error recovery to minimize system down-time." Very few pharmaceutical companies have completely automated every element of their stores, so RTS has just created Manual d-Sprint, which allows a manual station, perhaps one processing only a low number of plates, to be added to the system.
Manual d-Sprint then interacts with the person running the station, sending and receiving requests.
In this way, compounds that are especially valuable or hazardous or perhaps are part of a temporary research program are kept track of and are fully integrated into the main store inventory.
The latest version of Sprint improves the dispatch and receipt of compounds.
It always kept an electronic record, but now a new module also generates a dispatch note and the relevant bar codes so that the compounds are not only expected on arrival, but can be verified too.
As a single compound store might serve a global company operating across different continents and time zones, clients are moving towards internet chemical ordering.
It is envisaged that this feature will soon become a required element of many companies' compound ordering procedures.
