Managing the flow of dental supplies and equipment through your office is critical to ensuring optimal patient care and running a successful dental practice. Yet, without a proper supply chain and inventory management structure in place, costs rise, cash flow dwindles, and profitability suffers. Fortunately, there are practical ways to master supply chain and inventory management for dental practices.
As with all supply chains, dental supply chain management encompasses everything from sourcing, procuring, and managing inventory to partnering with the right supplier. In fact, the first link in the chain is your supplier. A Canadian dental supply partner can help you optimize your supply chain, by ensuring you have the right inventory, in the right amounts, at the right time, and at the right price. Choose a partner that offers affordable pricing on all the top-quality products you need on one site with fast and free delivery options.
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the importance of dental supply chain management
Improper management of the dental supply chain can negatively impact your day-to-day business operations. From wasting time searching storerooms for items, you lack to wasting money panic-ordering without comparing costs to making patient care less efficient overall, supply chain inefficiencies can erode your practice on multiple fronts.
There are ways to master supply chain and inventory management for dental practices. These include establishing procurement policies for dental offices, setting up in-house inventory management systems, and creating supply chain efficiencies for ongoing success.
establishing procurement policies for dental offices
In a busy dental practice, ordering supplies can be very reactive with many hands involved and few strategies in place. The most effective procurement policies for dental offices have one critical thing in common—they’re overseen by one person. Designate a key team member for sourcing, procuring, and managing all inventory according to the policies, procedures, and best practices you set out for your office.
setting up in-house inventory management systems
Dental supplies often have expiry dates and specific storage and handling requirements, especially when it comes to anesthetics, surgical products, sensitive materials, and pharmaceuticals. All of this can make dental inventory management challenging. Putting in-house inventory management systems in place can have many uses, including ensuring proper dental supply handling, hygiene practices, and disposal along the product’s lifecycle; optimizing storage space; and reducing the risk of carrying expired or obsolete products. Some offices take a lean approach to dental inventory management, a best practice that can ensure you’re managing goods efficiently, reducing waste, and not unnecessarily tying up cash flow. There are platforms that can help with all of the above, as well as provide actionable analytics based on your purchasing data to drive better decision-making and create efficiencies.
creating supply chain efficiencies
The right Canadian dental supply company can also be instrumental in helping you realize efficiencies along the supply chain, including saving time and stretching your budget. Select a supplier that focuses solely on dental and only lists in-stock items so you’re not wasting time on irrelevant products and backorders. If they offer same-day shipping options, you can keep your inventory lean to optimize cashflow and storage space. For budgetary efficiencies, look for a supplier that provides unbeatable factory pricing on the best quality brands, as well as bonuses like monthly specials, clearance sales, and manufacturer promotions.
selecting your canadian dental supply partner
There are many moving parts involved in running a successful dental practice, and your dental supply chain and inventory management plays a large role. Factory Direct Dental is here to help, with streamlined, one-stop purchasing on our user-friendly website. We’ll ship on the day you order (if ordered by 3:00 PM EST, Monday to Friday) and ship for free (on orders over $300 before taxes). Absolutely devoted to dental, we always offer unbeatable factory-direct pricing on exceptional supplies. We’re the perfect partner to help you stock the right products, in the right quantities, at the right time, and always at the right price.
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