Laboratories that support water treatment plants have long discovered the benefits of Laboratory Information Management Systems - LIMS. Today many laboratories are looking to replace their earlier systems with ones that are easier to support, more friendly to use and that can be connected easily with other plant computer systems. These laboratories as well as new facilities being commissioned can benefit the most by installing a new configuration of the very successful Matrix LIMS product, called ‘Neptune’.
A fellow consultant recently turned me on to the book Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, which is a fascinating look into the philosophy of quality. While the premise of the book (at least I think it is the premise) is that science and art are not entirely inseparable, one of the effects the book had on me was that it made me revisit the "scientific method".
Eventually in the lifecycle of every project someone will look at a piece of custom software and think to themselves, "Is this the right version, or did I put the new version on my other computer?" While it seems silly for a company that likely spent thousands of dollars on analyzing, developing and validating that particular piece of software, this still happens in even with the best companies. Let's look at some ways a company can re-identify a piece of custom code that is textual – meaning that the code is stored in a human entered, and human readable format.
Automation and Mechanisation are key requirements in high throughput environments such as analytical laboratories. A recent project completed at Westwards Microbiology Laboratory by Kiestra Lab Automation (The Netherlands) and Autoscribe UK Ltd demonstrates how such projects, can lead to increased productivity, reduced human errors and improved tracking and traceability.
The GnosisLIMS was started be a small cadre of experienced LIMS designers and implementers after years of frustrating temporary successes and near misses. Their vision for GnosisLIMS was an Open Source LIMS framework using web-enabled software tools that are relatively easy to program and administer and that will provide the flexibility for LIMS to evolve gracefully and to interact with other LIMS implementations. Under the Open Source philosophy improvements to the framework would be shared throughout the community.
Over the last 10 years, laboratory information management systems (LIMS) have changed beyond recognition. Increased regulatory requirements have meant that much more data is now being recorded; data that must be turned into useful information that is immediately available across the enterprise.
In August 1997, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a set of regulations entitled 21 CFR 11 (Title 21 of the Code of Federal Regulations, Part 11). “These regulations, which apply to all FDA program areas, are intended to permit the widest possible use of electronic technology, compatible with the FDA’s responsibility to promote and protect public health.” The regulations set standards for systems containing electronic records and electronic signatures and standards for the use of such systems with respect to the release of safe consumables into the marketplace.
An interesting, recent press release on this website prompted a very funny picture in my head that I thought I would write about...
There are over 130 LIMS companies world wide and most industry reports estimate the annual LIMS market to be around $300 million per year. There is something very wrong with this picture.
About 3 to 4 months ago, I wrote an article entitled: "The King is Dead, Long live the King". Today I read a rebutal to that article from the servant of the old King. I found the article lively and entertaining to say the least but I do believe it went a little over the top.
The FBI recently announced the cancellation of a major IT project where nearly $170 Million dollars and 3 years were spent to end up with a system that only does 10% of what was envisioned.
In an era of increased competitiveness, economic uncertainty, ever-increasing regulation and global turmoil, companies are striving to continually improve operational efficiency. Many are looking to information technology to provide reductions in operating costs and increased efficiency by automating and streamlining existing business processes. This article outlines the experiences of one company, Altrix Heathcare plc as they implemented their laboratory information management system.
This is a great time of year for all people across the world. LIMSfinder.com is generally such a serious site, we have decided to lighten things up for the holidays and present something entertaining.
If GXP, data integrity, and reproducibility are of highest priority to a laboratory, it must routinely assess its Facilities, Methods or SOP’s, Personnel, Support system, Analytical Instruments, Microbiological Instruments, Standards and Materials and Laboratory Information Management Mechanism. The mirror image of a GXP laboratory should mimic the following minimum criteria and requirements as part of its construct.
There are several areas to consider in establishing your LIMS requirements and specifications. In times of constrained resources and budgets, you can ill afford unnecessary spending. Purchasing a LIMS is a sound decision that can potentially save your organization time and money. However, before making your purchase decision you should have an understanding of what drives LIMS costs.
The purpose of this article is to examine the benefit or value a Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS) can bring to your organization. We have all heard the adage “Time is Money”. In the business world, where bean-counters rule, this simple statement must be embraced if you want to continue to succeed. Time is the fixed or consistent part of the equation. Productivity, or how we use that time, is the variable. So how does a LIMS figure into this equation?
We live in wondrous times... The Internet is becoming a staple of life and the common man is now able to go to space. The times are changing and the old standards are becoming obsolete.
The “Monster LIMS” of the past could be the dinosaurs of the Lab Industry. These huge under takings have given the LIMS (Laboratory Information Management System) acronym a bad name. Many companies have spent hundreds of thousands or even millions on a product that is so complicated and resource draining that it sometimes never gets off the shelf.
Since the early 1990’s we in the environmental lab industry have seen many changes in the laboratory operation. The huge contract laboratories have combined, absorbed or just plain disappeared. Midsize labs became giants or also vanished with the environmental dollars. The small laboratories have been under the watchful eye of government, big brother, and anyone else that pays the bills.
Innaphase has been acquired by Thermo. What's next?
