Seamless Integration of MSDS Management with Inventory System Can Significantly Reduce MSDS Management Burden and Costs
CARLSBAD, CA and FAIRFIELD, CA, January 11, 2011 – ChemSW, Inc and 3E Company today announced the release of a jointly written best practices white paper that examines the challenges involved with juggling material safety data sheets (MSDSs) and chemical inventory management, and recommends approaches laboratory managers should consider when implementing a solution.
The average R&D laboratory typically has thousands of materials on site, and each one requires an MSDS. In addition, those MSDSs are frequently updated by the supplier, so the laboratory manager must keep track of the location of each MSDS and which MSDS need updating, as well as new MSDSs to be attached to new chemicals ordered by the lab. Keeping up with those changes can be a complex and time-consuming task.
“The most efficient R&D laboratories typically automate as many manual processes and workflows as possible to optimize lab productivity,” explains Dave Hessler, ChemSW vice president of Technology and co-author of the white paper. “Two such workflows are the electronic management of both chemical inventory and the associated MSDS. Integrating MSDS management with chemical inventory management through best practices software technology is one way to reduce not only the management burden and costs but also streamline the associated workflows.”
“Historically, MSDS management has not been integrated with chemical inventory management, so two separate processes and databases are maintained,” states Tamie Webber, co-author and director of Product Management for 3E Company. “However, the two workflows are integral to each other, so it makes logistical and financial sense to integrate the two tasks.”
As explained in the white paper, MSDS management and chemical inventory management are complex undertakings, and it is easy to underestimate the work involved. Both are administratively burdensome tasks that do not directly add value to the lab’s bottom line. Limited lab resources are better spent managing other critical functions that will improve lab performance. However, a lab can achieve cost savings by optimizing these two management tasks. A properly integrated MSDS and chemical inventory management program will streamline the lab’s internal work processes, free up valuable lab resources, eliminate duplicate work across locations, and provide an accurate picture of chemicals in lab inventory.
ChemSW and 3E Company also recently announced the release of 3E MSDS Management for CISPro, which leverages jointly developed technology for use with 3E’s MSDS Management solutions and ChemSW’s CISPro® chemical inventory system. The integrated solution enables CISPro users to automatically retrieve desired MSDSs using 3E’s extensive range of MSDS solutions that provide 24-7-365 access to a database of millions of MSDSs. 3E Company and ChemSW have an established strategic alliance based on the integration of 3E Ariel regulatory data with ChemSW’s CISPro. 3E MSDS Management for CISPro extends the integration from substance level regulatory data to product level MSDS data.
Titled Best Practices in Laboratory Management: Integrating MSDSs with Your Chemical Inventory System, the white paper addresses critical tasks involved with integrating MSDS and chemical inventory management, including attaching the correct MSDS to chemical inventory and accommodating chemical turnover.
About 3E Company
3E Company, a subsidiary of Verisk Analytics, offers a comprehensive suite of services for environmental health and safety (EH&S) compliance management. This suite of services addresses the entire chemical life cycle and includes regulatory research; MSDS authoring, distribution, and management; transportation; emergency response; training; regulatory reporting; and hazardous waste management. 3E provides an industry-leading combination of a 24/7/365 EH&S mission control call center and the world’s premier hazardous substance database of global regulatory and compliance information. More than 5,000 customers partner with 3E, including Costco Wholesale Corporation, US Airways, Eastman Chemical, Shell, Temple-Inland, and Menasha. 3E Company’s products and services have received two 2010 Occupational Health & Safety product of the year awards for best in MSDS management and best in EHS software. The company was founded in 1988 and is headquartered in Carlsbad, California, with additional operations in Canton, Ohio; Bethesda, Maryland; Kingsport, Tennessee; Montreal, Quebec; and Copenhagen, Denmark. For more information on 3E Company, visit www.3ecompany.com.
About ChemSW
ChemSW is the leading provider of chemical and biochemical inventory management systems, MSDS systems and other chemistry laboratory software and services. ChemSW’s wide range of products enable companies to streamline laboratory processes and reduce chemical purchasing and disposal costs. ChemSW supports over 15,000 customers in more than 40 countries throughout the world.
Release: Immediate
Contact
Jenny Bingham
3E Company
(619) 980-4205
jbingham@3ecompany.com