A collaborative approach to lean laboratory workstation design reduces wasted technologist travel

Area of Science:

• Laboratory Operations
• Industrial Engineering
• Process Improvement

Background:

• Lean methodologies are widely used to minimize waste in various industries.
• Optimizing laboratory workflows is crucial for operational efficiency and cost reduction.
• Reducing non-value-added activities, such as unnecessary travel, enhances productivity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To apply Lean principles to redesign laboratory workstations.
• To decrease the frequency of employees leaving their workstations to perform tasks.
• To quantify the impact of workstation redesign on travel time and workflow.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of 68 workflows and 664 tasks to identify travel-intensive processes.
• Redesign of laboratory workstations based on Lean principles.
• Baseline and post-redesign assessment of task requirements and travel events.

Main Results:

• The proportion of tasks requiring employees to leave workstations decreased from 38% (251/664) to 9% (59/664).
• An average of 3.4 travel events were eliminated per workstation.
• Significant reduction in time spent on travel, estimated at 8 to 70 seconds per avoided trip.

Conclusions:

• Redesigned laboratory workstations effectively minimize employee travel, leading to substantial time savings.
• Lean techniques offer a viable strategy for enhancing laboratory efficiency and layout.
• Further process improvements and employee training in waste identification are potential benefits.