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e-Journal Vol 49

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Improving Animal Research Facility Operations Through the Application of Lean Principles

Nabeel Khan and Brian M. Umrysh

Nabeel Khan, PMP, MSM, is a project manager with Turner International Middle East (TIME). Brian M. Umrysh is Manager of the Vivarium at Seattle Children's Hospital Research Institute in Washington.

Address correspondence and reprint requests to Mr. Nabeel Khan, 156 Sackett St. #4A, Brooklyn , NY 11231 or email nkhan102@yahoo.com.

Abstract

Animal research is a vital component of US research and well-functioning animal research facilities are critical both to the research itself and to the housing and feeding of the animals. The Office of Animal Care (OAC) at Seattle Children's Hospital Research Institute realized it had to improve the efficiency and safety of its animal research facility (ARF) to prepare for expansion and to advance the Institute's mission. The main areas for improvement concerned excessive turnaround time to process animal housing and feeding equipment; the movement and flow of equipment and inventory; and personnel safety. To address these problems, management held two process improvement workshops to educate employees about lean principles. In this article we discuss the application of these principles and corresponding methods to advance Children's Research Institute's mission of preventing, treating, and eliminating childhood diseases.

Key Words: animal research facility; lean principles; process improvement; process waste elimination; Toyota production system; vivarium