From exercise books to barcodes – Vantaa and Kerava's dental care takes control of inventory with OC Logistics

The system has been rolled out to dental clinics step by step. It was first piloted in four dental clinics, and following positive results, the implementation has continued clinic by clinic. VAKE operates a total of 23 dental clinics, with 350 people working in dental care.

Mobile devices replace exercise books

Head Nurse Emmi Wirman says OC Logistics has brought significant improvements to inventory management. ”Inventory waste has decreased considerably. Dental care involves large volumes of care supplies that accumulate in storage. Now we have much greater transparency in inventory management and a better understanding of how materials move and how much capital is tied up in stock,” says Wirman.
The system also saves working time by automatically suggesting what should be ordered.
”We used to work with exercise books – now we use mobile devices and barcodes. It’s a major shift. Stocktaking is much easier, and the change is particularly important for sustainability, as less material goes to waste,” says Wirman.

Positive results accelerated the rollout

Head Nurse and system specialist Annikka Hernesniemi has been involved in the OC Logistics implementation alongside Wirman. She says the phased approach has made the process easier. ”We’ve been able to proceed at a steady pace, getting properly familiar with the system’s features,” says Hernesniemi. ”It was first piloted in four dental clinics, and once other units heard about the positive results, we quickly started receiving requests asking when they would get it too.”

At Martinlaakso Health Centre’s dental clinic, staff are pleased with OC Logistics. Pictured: dental nurse Maria Kuokkanen.

Stock levels down to a third

Helena Salusjärvi-Juopperi, Head of Dental Care, is very pleased with the direction of development.
”Order volumes for care supplies have decreased considerably. We used to hold a year’s worth of stock – now it’s down to 4.5 months. Our target level is a two-month stock,” says Salusjärvi-Juopperi. ”The trend is clearly positive, and the progress is significant. Inventory has become fully transparent, allowing those placing orders to see what others have already ordered, which eliminates duplicate orders.”

The Wellbeing Services County of Vantaa and Kerava (VAKE) is an expert organisation specialising in the planning and provision of social welfare, healthcare and rescue services. It covers two cities, numerous villages, and close to 300,000 residents.