Terso Solutions, Inc., located in Madison, Wisconsin, USA, is the developer and distributor of an automated system for storage and distribution of high value research reagents and medical supplies. Terso first developed a reagent stocking system, which uses radio frequency identification tags along with secure access control, linked to the internet. These combined technologies allow inventory to be securely tracked and managed remotely.
History
Developed initially as an on-site inventory supplier for Promega products, the privately held Terso Solutions, Inc. was spun off from Promega Corporation in 2005. In February 2010, Terso Solutions formed Terso GmbH in Mannheim, Germany, in response to increasing demand for its RFID units in Europe. Terso Solutions employs 48 people. The company holds 17 United States patents, 2 European patents, and 3 Japanese patents. Joe Pleshek has been CEO of Terso Solutions since 2008.
In Healthcare
Terso Solutions offers RFID-enabled cabinets, refrigerators and freezers as part of an automated inventory management system for healthcare. Terso’s products are typically used in cath labs, emergency rooms, and hospital supply rooms. Benefits hospitals realize from Terso’s units include improved regulatory compliance, expiration date management, reduced manual inventory processes and secure, 24/7 real-time access to high value inventory.
In Life Science
The company’s RFID-enabled cabinets, refrigerators and freezers are used by biotechnology and biopharmaceutical laboratories. Labs and the manufacturers and distributors who supply them use the company’s products to gain more secure control over inventory, ensure product integrity through 24/7 temperature monitoring, expiration date management and by eliminating surprise product outages. Terso also offers an RFID-enabled Smart Stockroom, which is marketed as an efficient 24/7 system for managing medical and research inventory. The room-based solution is designed to allow users to access products anytime without manual sign out, and to capture all of this data in real-time.
About Radio-Frequency Identification
Radio-frequency identification or RFID tags work by emitting radio waves, either actively or passively, which allow the object or item carrying the tag, to be identified. Active RFID tags involve a power source such as a battery and emit signals, while passive devices require a scanning or reading device for signal identification. Tags can be worn, attached to or implanted in an object. Microchips used in pet animals such as cats and dogs work by RFID. When an animal is found, if it has a microchip bearing an RFID device implanted, the animal can be scanned and the owner’s contact information transmitted. Terso Solutions supply cabinets and freezers provide temperature-controlled storage and on-site location of supplies. This allows 24/7 access to research reagents, as well as automated inventory control. The cabinets and freezers provide secured access, so that only authorized users can remove the products. This controlled access, combined with RFID tags, allows real-time tracking of products and is designed to allow easy inventory assessment and timely restocking as the supply of reagents is depleted.
RFID and Transplant Medicine
A new and rapidly evolving field of medicine surrounds the collection and distribution of tissues for reuse in human patients, including tissues as diverse as eyes, musculoskeletal tissue, eggs, sperm and blood stem cells. Experts agree that the field, in its infancy, has the ability to improve the quality of life, or in some cases preserve life for many patients. As the list of potential patients grows, so does the complexity of collecting, storing and distributing high quality tissue. The number of regulatory agencies involved in tissue procurement and distribution itself is substantial, including the Food and Drug Administration, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations and the American Association of Tissue Banks. These agencies cooperatively define the processes by which biological materials from donors are collected, stored, distributed and used. Storage of such tissues in RFID-enabled cabinets and freezers is an ideal means of ensuring proper storage of, tracking both supplier and user of, and maintaining inventory of such tissues.
