Inventory Management: How to Keep More Profit In Your Pocket

Having an organized inventory management system in place ensures you and your team have what you need when you need it. Laboratory owners of three different-sized operations detail their inventory management strategies and share tips for simplifying supply tracking, streamlining orders and minimizing costs.

Russellville Dental Lab: The Kanban System

A full service lab that specializes in removables and implants, Russellville Dental Lab in Russellville, KY, is constantly ordering supplies. “While we order products like wax and gypsum in bulk, implant parts and denture teeth depend on the case so we pretty much order those all day, every day—some days it’s as many as 52 parts,” says Lee Coursey, Owner of the 15-person operation.

To manage its implant components, as well as replacement parts for equipment, the lab uses a modified kanban method, a manual inventory control system often used in lean manufacturing that uses a visual indicator,...