Ohio Department of Mental Health Looks to Upp Technology’s irms|WM™ Warehouse Management for Business Transformation

Client Profile:

Leveraging group purchasing power and the latest in information technology, the Ohio Department of Mental Health provides goods and services to various state agencies engaged in protecting the public health, safety and welfare, including the ODMH along with the departments of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities, Rehabilitation and Corrections, Youth Services and others.

A self-supporting agency receiving no legislatively appropriated funding, the ODMH ships over  100 million dollars in inventory each year, everything from food, drugs, medical and laboratory supplies to paper records, forms and various sundries. With entities statewide counting on the ODMH and budgets tight, the agency’s need for operational efficiency, processing accuracy and public accountability is at an all-time high.

Solution:

Upp Technology project managers, subject matter experts, business analysts and technologists in enterprise supply chain logistics have implemented irms|WM™ Warehouse Management onsite at the ODMH together with enterprise systems integration of Microsoft GP accounting software for a joint “Logistics in Action” solution. Guided by PMI PMBOK from pre-implementation operational review to phased deployment, training, documentation and support, the Upp Technology team rolled out irms|WM for multisite warehouse management of the ODMH’s Central Warehouse and Pharmacy Service Center facilities using inventory best practices.

Replacing a previously manual process, the new Logistics in Action solution has enabled the ODMH to increase operational efficiencies from receiving to inventory control and shipping, while providing real-time data capture from enterprise mobile handhelds, end-to-end supply chain visibility and continuous transaction auditing to U.S. FDA 21 CFR Part 11 standards and lot control in handling date-sensitive inventory, such as drug products and perishable foodstuffs, for an unquestionable cold storage chain of custody.

As part of the implementation, Upp Technology led a team including third-party system integrators in deployment of the Microsoft Business Portal as well as enterprise systems integration of irms|WM with the GP fiscal back office software and GP with the state’s Oracle/ PeopleSoft ERP for managed purchasing, invoicing and billing. The Portal solution provides the ODMH with customer order entry, decreasing customer service costs for the state, along with enhanced business intelligence and reporting, bringing traditionally disparate data silos together for secure access to real-time information.

Business Value:

The Logistics in Action solution provides the Ohio Department of Mental Health with real-time access to operational data, better cash management, inventory and accounting standards compliance, enabling the ODMH to respond more effectively to business issues, achieve efficacies across the supply chain, and above all improve customer relations and accountability in public health.