This software-directed packaging system kits and packs medical instruments with surgical precision.

Critical surgical procedures, such as open-heart surgery, require specialized instruments that in the hands of a skilled doctor can save lives. Many hospitals rely on companies such as Medtronic, Inc. to supply them with pre-sterilized kits.

Assembling and packing these kits is a complicated task made easier by a software-directed automatic packaging system (Ranpak Corp, 800-726-7257, www.ranpak.com). The system determines the instruments required for each kit, outlines the packaging procedure, and supplies the needed pack materials – all in one station that integrates with existing inventory management systems.

After instruments are manufactured, they go through a sterilization process. They are then packed in vacuum-sealed bags to maintain their germ-free state and sent to the distribution center. They are stored here until ordered by hospitals.

As orders arrive, various instruments are pulled and sent to two pack stations where they are kitted according to the requirements of each surgical procedure. One station handles the smaller, standard kits, usually containing three instruments or less. The second station handles the more complicated kits, as well as the customized kits.

A display screen first tells the operator which of ten cartons to use for packing the kit. Next, a picture of the instruments required for that kit appears on the screen. The formula shows the ideal pack arrangement within the carton. The machine then generates and feeds out the exact amount of padded kraft paper for the package. The display screen also shows the packer the best way to wrap the instruments and how to place any additional paper in the box if needed for dunnage.

Before moving to this pack system, Medtronic kept their pack instructions in a card filing system. Whenever a kit was required, workers would research the required instruments and pull them from storage.

"It is much easier now with the onscreen photos," says Dan Burrows, operations manager. "The process is much faster, plus being computer-based, it has eliminated all of the paperwork."

The system records all activities and prints reports. It additionally tracks inventory of the corrugated cartons and the kraft paper supplies and has the ability to automatically re-order them as quantities begin to dwindle. Training time has been reduced and packing speed and utilization of labor has increased. Workers now merely have to look at the picture on the display terminal instead of reading product numbers from a sheet.