Swiss Medical Group Improves Laundry Operations Efficiency With Zebra Technologies' RFID Solution

Healthcare provider enhances inventory management and increases real-time visibility in its medical centers

Zebra Technologies Corporation an innovator at the front line of business with solutions and partners that deliver a performance edge, today announced Swiss Medical Group (SMG), a leading healthcare provider in Argentina, selected Zebra’s RFID solution to improve inventory management and the efficiency of its laundry operations.

Garment control and traceability are critical across SMG’s eight hospitals, twelve medical centers and different specialized institutions including more than a million associates. SMG has implemented a modern solution comprised of Zebra’s FX9600 and FX7500 fixed RFID readers, RFD2000 RFID sleds paired with TC20 mobile computers, and the Laundry RFID Solution from Telectrónica, a Zebra PartnerConnect Premier Business Partner. Through the real-time visibility SMG has gained into its inventory, this solution has helped SMG save $80,000 (USD) annually by reducing the number of lost articles of clothing.

“It is unthinkable to return to paper-based operations after implementing the Zebra-Telectrónica RFID solution,” said Sebastián Cimino, CEO of SMG Laundry. “This project offered us the visibility and efficiency we were looking for to improve our laundry operations, which involves more than seven million clothing transactions each year. Now we can audit the inventory of one hospital – which includes more than 20,000 garments – in four hours with only one person, without interfering with medical operations.”

SMG Laundry also add RFID tags to its staff uniforms and hospital bedding, categorizing them by color, size and receiving entity. This reduces human errors during the delivery process and helps SMG send the right clothes to the right customer. In addition, the company installed an RFID-equipped tunnel where uniforms are counted while going to the laundry in sealed bags, reducing the risk of transmitting diseases.

“We are proud to be selected to support the biggest RFID implementation in the Argentinian healthcare industry,” said Allan Gidekel, CEO of Telectrónica. “Our RFID solution has eliminated the time spent on manual tasks and added efficiency to inventory management, helping Swiss Medical Group know exactly how many garments it has and where they are in real time.”

With less time needed to locate and pick clothing articles, the RFID solution has increased SMG’s worker productivity by 70%. It also helps SMG comply with aseptic regulations and provide better care for its patients and medical staff.

“Zebra’s solutions empower healthcare organizations with a performance edge that helps reduce medical errors, improve regulation fulfillment and provide a higher quality of patient care,” said Alejandro Prosperi, Sales Director of SOLA region, Zebra Technologies. “By intelligently connecting company assets, data and people in collaborative workflows with RFID technology, Swiss Medical Group has increased workforce productivity, reduced operating costs and driven significant operational efficiencies.”

Key Take Aways

• Using Zebra’s fixed and handheld RFID readers and Telectrónica’s RFID Laundry Solution, SMG improved inventory management, increased workforce productivity and drove significant operational efficiencies.
• The Zebra-Telectrónica RFID solution helps SMG quickly count and locate clothing and bedding in each of its facilities. SMG can audit the inventory of one hospital including more than 20,000 garments in four hours and with only one person.
• SMG Laundry produces its staff uniforms and hospitals’ bedding, adding RFID tags to categorize them by color, size and receiving entity, reducing human errors during the delivery process.