Case Study: UID Identification Solutions and Harloff

The Client:

Unified Information Devices, Inc (UID) is an innovative leading provider of radio-frequency identification (RFID) solutions headquartered in Lake Villa, Illinois. With a goal of empowering researchers to generate higher quality data faster, accurately and consistently, UID combines advanced RFID technology with novel software to facilitate the identification and tracking of research animals as well as a variety of other essential laboratory items. UID’s innovative product offering ranges from microchips for lab animal identification and temperature monitoring to inventory systems that assist with the accurate, secure tracking of controlled substances. Led by an experienced team of select biomedical scientists, software engineers, hardware engineers and RFID experts, UID remains committed to creating high-quality products accompanied by easy-to-use solutions that help scientists improve animal welfare, make significant discoveries and move science forward.

The Client’s Issue:

With a wide variety of powerful narcotics being used in today’s laboratory animal research facilities, there are numerous state and federal regulations that UID’s narcotics storage systems absolutely must adhere to which are strictly enforced. One of their latest innovations, the Controlled Substance Inventory System (CSI-360), was specifically designed to improve security, ensure compliance and facilitate the management of controlled substances. As is stated on UID’s website, the CSI-360 “combines a two-part authentication process, novel software and RFID tracking technology to provide secure access and 100% accurate recording of all controlled substances used in the animal research facility.”

When developing the CSI-360 however, the UID team came to the conclusion that they were going to need help producing a properly secured narcotics cabinet that would not only work with their system, but meet all obligatory narcotics storage regulations too.

“We needed a DEA approved solution that would provide secure storage of narcotics while also allowing for easy access and tracking of the narcotics.” said UID’s Director Of Business Development Dennis Bruns, “Harloff narcotics cabinets provided the perfect solution to this issue.”

Helping To Find A Solution:

Having heard of Harloff’s reputation for providing a good selection of high-quality, secure storage solutions for both narcotics and other controlled substances, UID reached out to inquire about forming a partnership with Harloff to help fine-tune the CSI-360 system. In addition to being designed to meet the stringent requirements of regulatory agencies such as the DEA, it turned out Harloff narcotics cabinets are also perfectly designed for easy integration with UID’s existing systems. UID’s business development and Harloff’s engineering teams identified the 2830AQ and 2803AQ narcotics cabinet models as the ideal fit for the CSI-360 system, but with a few custom tweaks. A variation of both the 2830AQ and 2803AQ were quickly developed for UID with new nutserts added which allowed the CSI-360 system to effortlessly affix itself to the newly customized cabinets. The transition was seamless as UID had found the narcotics cabinet they were looking for to integrate with their existing narcotics tracking and security system.

To further strengthen the partnership between the two companies, Harloff agreed to help manufacture another key component of the CSI-360 in addition to the system’s narc cabinets. A small metal plate is required to attach the CSI-360 lock and security system to the cabinet, which UID had originally been manufacturing themselves. After taking a closer look at their production costs however, the UID team concluded that it would be more economical for Harloff to produce the small metal plates ourselves, which has eased the production process for all parties involved.

The Results:

Our narc cabinets have been a welcome solution for UID. Their addition to the CSI-360 has resolved all the issues of securely storing controlled substances previously faced by the company. When asked specifically how Harloff’s solutions have helped UID, Director Bruns was happy to share his satisfaction with the partnership.

“The partnership between the two companies has been especially beneficial, as Harloff has created custom SKUs that are nutserted for turn-key custom installations,” Bruns noted. “This has allowed veterinarian practices the ability to install the cabinets quickly and easily in their facilities, without having to worry about any additional assembly or installation. These custom cabinets have also been designed to add an additional layer of security to protect the Veterinarians/DEA license holders.”

UID had a unique problem requiring a more secure narcotics cabinet for their CSI-360 system, and Harloff was happy to create a custom solution just for them. Not only have the cabinets provided superior storage for various narcotics, but with the SCI-360 software integration, they’ve also added the benefit of automation, alerts and powerful reporting capabilities which may make this system THE disruptive next generation “Smart-Cabinet” of the future.

If your facility faces a unique issue with its medical storage needs, you can count on Harloff to be there to develop a custom solution just for you! Just ask Director Bruns, who when asked if he would recommend Harloff to companies facing similar issues at their facilities, stated:

“Yes, we recommend Harloff narcotics cabinets to any practice that wants to increase their levels of safety and security when it comes to the storage of narcotics and high value assets.”

About Unified Information Devices

Unified Information Devices (UID) is a leading provider of radio-frequency identification (RFID) solutions that empower researchers to generate higher quality data faster, accurately and consistently. UID combines advanced RFID technology with novel software to facilitate the identification and tracking of research animals and laboratory items. Our innovative product line includes RFID microchips for lab animal identification and accurate temperature measurements, Smart-Cage Systems for home-cage monitoring of rodent health and behavior, an RFID-enabled inventory system for accurate and secure tracking of controlled substances, and novel software for data collection automation and laboratory process improvement.

UID is a privately held company headquartered in Lake Villa, IL. For more information, please contact us at info@uidevices.com, or visit the Unified Information Devices website at www.uidevices.com