How a Life Sciences Manufacturer Optimized Its MRO Storeroom and Increased Maintenance Efficiency 

Client Background

• Industry: Life Sciences 
• Footprint: Global 
• Sites: 83  
• Employees: 5000+ 
• Revenue: $1.7 Billion+  

Life sciences manufacturers operate in very demanding environments. Production sites must maintain strict contamination controls, meet rigorous regulatory expectations, and keep highly specialized equipment running with minimal interruption. In these environments, the storeroom plays a critical role. When materials are not immediately available, engineers lose valuable wrench time, maintenance schedules slip, and production risk increases. 

At a large UK-based life sciences manufacturing facility, continued site growth placed increasing pressure on an already complex storeroom operation. The addition of new production capacity significantly reduced available floor space while increasing the number of critical components required to support operations. More than 16,500 SKUs needed to be managed across a growing asset base, all within tighter physical constraints and under strict cleanroom requirements. 

RS Integrated Supply had supported the site for several years as an embedded integrated supply partner. As the facility expanded, it became clear that incremental improvements would no longer be enough. The storeroom required fundamental redesign to support maintenance productivity, compliance, and long-term operational efficiency.

The Challenge: Supporting Growth with 75% Less Storeroom Space 

Expansion brought two competing realities into focus. First, the site needed to support more assets, more maintenance activity, and more critical spare parts. Second, it had significantly less space to do it. 

The introduction of a new production line resulted in a 75% reduction in available storeroom floor space, dramatically increasing pressure on storage, accessibility, and organization. 

At the same time: 

• Engineers needed to retrieve parts from areas requiring cleanroom access 

• Each retrieval required changing into cleanroom-specific  clothing, basic scrubs or uniform used in preventing outside contaminants, adding significant delays 

• Locating and collecting parts could take up to 10 minutes per visit, often repeated multiple times per shift 

In some cases, engineers made up to five trips per day, meaning a substantial portion of productive time was lost simply accessing materials.  

Cleanroom Access Delays Reduced Engineer Productivity 

The storeroom was also burdened with excess and slow-moving inventory, which limited access to high-demand components and made stock checks more time-consuming and less accurate. 

The site needed more than optimization. It needed a step-change solution that addressed space, speed, compliance, and scalability. 

The Solution: Storeroom Redesign, Inventory Optimization, and Automation 

RS Integrated Supply initiated a full redesign of the storeroom, combining layout reorganization, inventory optimization, and automation. 

The transformation began with a detailed review of inventory and storage strategy. The team removed approximately 6,000 parts from the primary storeroom, eliminating slow-moving and non-critical items from prime space. In their place, around 2,250 high-frequency, critical components were strategically reintroduced into a redesigned, highly accessible storage system. 

Automated Carousel Technology Improved Parts Accessibility 

At the center of the solution was a bespoke dual-aperture automated carousel, designed specifically for the site’s physical and operational constraints. The system allowed: 

• Materials to be loaded from outside the cleanroom environment 

• Engineers to retrieve parts from the cleanroom side without needing to change clothing 

• A clear separation between clean and non-clean workflows 

This design removed one of the most persistent inefficiencies on site while supporting compliance and reducing contamination risk. 

The implementation timeline further demonstrated the value of an embedded partnership. The integrated supply solution was planned and delivered in just four months. 

The Results: Faster Parts Access, More Space, and Increased Wrench Time 

The redesigned storeroom reclaimed critical space for production and operational use. 

• Achieved a 75% reduction in storeroom footprint compared to the original layout 

• Freed up valuable floor space to support engineering and production activities 

The redesigned storeroom significantly improved access to materials and reduced non‑productive time spent on maintenance teams. 

• Eliminated the need for repeated clothing changes for part retrieval 

• Reduced part access time from up to 10 minutes per trip to near‑instant access 

• Removed multiple daily trips to the storeroom from standard workflows 

To illustrate the operational impact, consider a typical scenario. A team of 10 engineers, each making five trips per day to retrieve parts, previously spent up to 10 minutes per trip changing and accessing the storeroom. That equates to approximately 50 minutes of lost time per engineer per day.

Over £216,000 in Annual Productivity Savings Potential 

For a team earning an average of £100 per hour, this results in: 

• £833 per day in recoverable productivity 

• £4,167 per week across a five-day work week 

• Over £216,000 annually in potential productivity savings 

While actual savings will vary by site, this example demonstrates how seemingly small delays in part access can translate into substantial operational impact when scaled across teams and time. 

Increased Maintenance Productivity 

By improving access and reducing delays, the solution directly supported increased wrench time. 

• Engineers spent significantly less time locating and retrieving parts 

• Faster access to high-demand components reduced delays in scheduled maintenance 

• Improved layout ensured critical items were always within reach 

Streamlined Inventory Management 

• Optimization of 6,000+ parts reduced clutter and improved visibility 

• Focus on high-frequency items improved availability of critical components 

• More structured storage enabled faster and more consistent stock checks 

Speed of Transformation 

• Delivered in 4 months  

• Demonstrated the advantage of an embedded partner with deep site knowledge and authority to act 

Conclusion

In life sciences manufacturing, the storeroom is not a back‑office function. It is a critical enabler of compliance, maintenance productivity, and uninterrupted production. As this UK facility expanded, space constraints and operational complexity made it clear that the existing storeroom model could no longer support the demands of a highly regulated environment. 

By working in close partnership with RS Integrated Supply, the site moved beyond incremental fixes to implement a true step‑change improvement. The redesigned storeroom improved access to critical components, reclaimed valuable floor space, and removed one of the most persistent sources of lost engineering time. 

This transformation shows how an integrated supply partner can operate as an embedded extension of the customer’s team, delivering practical, high-impact improvements that solve immediate challenges while supporting long-term operational maturity.