Medical device warehousing is storage that keeps every unit traceable and releasable. We receive device inventory with lot, serial and expiry captured at the dock, store it according to its labeled conditions, and enforce holds and quarantine so only conforming product can ship.
Receiving that treats the label as data
Good medical device warehousing is decided at the receiving dock. Each inbound shipment is checked against your purchase order or ASN, counted, and inspected for carton damage, crushed corners, wet packaging and broken seals. Device labels are scanned so the device identifier, lot or batch number, serial number and expiration date land in the warehouse management system before anything is put away.
When a shipment does not match, such as an unexpected lot, a quantity variance or a label that will not scan, it goes to a receiving hold instead of a pick location. You get a discrepancy report with photos, and the stock stays unavailable until your team makes the call. That discipline prevents the most common traceability failure in device distribution: inventory that is physically in the building but recorded under the wrong lot.
Storage per labeled conditions
Medical devices must be stored in a way that protects the conditions the manufacturer validated. For most devices that means clean, dry, pest-controlled ambient storage away from direct sunlight and heat sources. Some products, including many in vitro diagnostic reagents and certain coated or biologic-containing devices, carry narrower labeled ranges such as controlled room temperature or 2–8°C refrigeration.
We assign storage zones from the conditions on your labeling and instructions for use, not from a generic rule. Monitored ambient and controlled-room-temperature storage is available across our markets, and refrigerated storage is available in select markets. Sterile-barrier packaging is never opened, overlabeled in a way that obscures required information, or stacked beyond the limits printed on the shipper.
FEFO rotation and shelf-life rules
Expiry-dated devices are allocated first-expired, first-out, not first-in, first-out. Receipt date is irrelevant when two lots arrive in the wrong order or a supplier ships an older lot to fill a short order. FEFO allocation means the shortest-dated releasable lot is picked first, every time.
On top of FEFO, we configure minimum remaining shelf-life rules by customer or channel. A health system contract that requires twelve months of dating at delivery will never be allocated an eight-month lot, while that same lot can still ship to a channel that accepts it. Inventory approaching your threshold is flagged in advance, so you can redirect, discount or plan disposition before it becomes a write-off.
Holds, quarantine and inventory visibility
Quarantine is both a system status and a physical place. Damaged product, returns, units awaiting inspection and any lot you place on hold are moved to a segregated area and blocked in the WMS, so they cannot be allocated to an order by accident. Release requires written authorization from your designated contact.
You see inventory by item, lot, serial, expiry, status and location in real time, along with receiving history and cycle count results. Cycle counts run on a schedule weighted toward high-value and fast-moving items, and every adjustment is documented with a reason code. That record is what your auditors and your own QMS will expect to see from a distribution partner.
What's included
- UDI barcode capture at receiving (GS1, HIBCC)
- Lot, serial and expiry recorded before putaway
- FEFO allocation with customer-specific shelf-life minimums
- System-enforced holds and segregated quarantine
- Storage zoned to labeled conditions
- Documented cycle counts and adjustments
- Damage and discrepancy reports with photos
Frequently asked questions
What is medical device warehousing?
Medical device warehousing is the storage of devices under controls that preserve traceability and product integrity, including lot and expiry capture, FEFO rotation, quarantine of nonconforming stock and storage per the product's labeled conditions.
Can you store sterile medical devices?
Yes. Sterile devices are stored in their original sterile-barrier packaging, which we never open, and handled to avoid crushing, puncture or moisture damage that could compromise the barrier.
How do you prevent short-dated devices from shipping?
We allocate inventory first-expired, first-out and apply minimum remaining shelf-life rules per customer, so a lot below a customer's threshold is never allocated to that customer's orders.
Can I see inventory by lot number?
Yes. Inventory is visible by item, lot, serial number, expiration date, status and location, and can be exported or delivered on a scheduled report.