Impacts of radio-identification on cryo-conservation centers

This article deals with the use of discrete-event simulation as a decision support tool for estimating the impact of Radio Frequency IDentification (RFID) technologies on processes and activities of biological sample storage areas (called biobanks). We first give a detailed description of biobank flows and identify subprocesses improved using RFID technologies. Several indicators, such as inventory reliability and human resource utilization, are compared and discussed for different scenarios involving the use of different RFID technologies. A special emphasis is put on the so-called rewarehousing activity, which RFID makes possible and which consists in reassigning tubes to empty places when boxes are emptied. For this particular activity, optimization algorithms are developed and embedded in the simulator. This study shows the potential use of RFID in biobanks and the value of simulation for estimating and optimizing its introduction in such complex socio-technical systems.