Issue or Problem
Everyday, thousands of biomedical research and medical personnel need to obtain various types of biomedical products. The time and effort associated with this activity is enormous, particularly in a manual supply chain environment. Moreover, medical supplies often go missing or are unaccounted for due to a lack of accurate product tracking and data recording.
Many hospitals and bio-medical facilities have freezer programs to keep restricted, climate-sensitive items frozen. And while freezers provide proper storage conditions for these types of items, allowing authorized personnel secure, convenient access to such items is a considerable challenge. It's also difficult to keep accurate records of product distribution due to the lack of an automated monitoring system (in some cases, researchers simply help themselves to restricted supplies - product tracking is voluntary).

cStar Solution
cStar's eDispense system is a remote-monitored vending apparatus for life science products, including reagents, enzymes and controlled narcotics, which need to be stored in chilled or frozen environments. A wirelessly-enabled dispensing system, eDispense uses GPRS / GSM / ARDIS and MOBITEX wide area networks and Spread Spectrum local area networks to provide controlled, 24-hour access to products in a secure, paperless environment.

cStar also provides a retrofit solution that wirelessly enables monitoring and inventory tracking for other freezers and refrigerators.

eDispense is a true on-line, real-time, end-to-end turnkey solution that offers: ISO magnetic stripe card compatibility encoding equipment vending equipment glass front advertising wireless local or wide area networking comprehensive e-commerce management product and machine support and back-end software necessary for automated billing. The eDispense system also provides advanced tactile support, ensuring compatibility with varying product-packaging formats; it's an ideal turnkey solution for boosting marketing incentive programs and eliminating product shortages. The cStar eDispense system provides authorized users with around-the-clock access to climate-sensitive and restricted medical and life science products, while automatically managing and tracking inventory, compiling accurate sales data and logging all machine activity. Only users with authorized swipe cards can access the dispensing apparatus and administrators can remotely view a comprehensive log of user statistics and product sales for a given machine, in real-time, via encrypted web pages. Automated inventory and supply chain management eliminates the chance that a dispensing apparatus will sell-out of a crucial product when it's needed most. And the eDispense system's automated security function monitors machine temperatures and alerts administrators to temperature fluctuations and system errors in real-time - so eDispense users get the products they need, when they need them, in a secure, automated environment.

cStar's TrakR series is an end-to-end, wirelessly-enabled system that tracks the distribution of medical and life science products stored in freezers and refrigerators. With cStar's TrakR solution, you can store, refrigerate and distribute restricted products in an automated, secure, paperless environment, while remotely monitoring inventory and collecting accurate statistics on product use and sales. And TrakR's fail-safe early alarms mean you can be confident that refrigeration units are functioning properly, storage temperatures are consistent and your products are secure at all times. With TrakR, you can remotely monitor and manage every detail of your inventory and respond quickly to sales activity and product storage conditions to eliminate product shortages and product expiration, significantly boosting both operation efficiency and customer service. And TrakR supports activity-based accounting, so you can track products to projects, researchers and grants and maintain comprehensive records of end-user access and product distribution.

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