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Managing a quality control laboratory is challenging in any industry, whether food and beverage, agriculture, construction, or biotech. Companies need to handle large data volumes while also complying with strict industry standards and regulations.
Still, many organizations keep relying on paper documents and Excel spreadsheets when managing their laboratory workflows. As an outcome, such challenges as manual data entry errors, limited accessibility, inconsistent data recording, and compliance issues arise. To address these challenges, companies transition from manual, paper-based operations to automated solutions like Laboratory Information Management Systems (LIMS).
LIMS can significantly enhance laboratory management practices across different domains and quality control labs are already using it for managing samples and reporting data. But is it a justified investment for your laboratory’s needs?
To help you answer this question, we’ve prepared a brief overview of what LIMS is, what benefits you can get from integrating it, and what features you should look at when choosing LIMS.
In brief, LIMS is a centralized platform for managing a laboratory workflow. Sample tracking, test scheduling, and results reporting are just a few processes that can be automated within LIMS, improving efficiency, minimizing errors, and making data more accessible.
To understand LIMS better, let’s see how laboratory workflow looks with and without LIMS in place.
As you can see, LIMS can significantly simplify and accelerate the working operations for lab technicians, managers, and other staff involved in laboratory testing. For this reason, LIMS is widely used in material science, pharmaceutical, agriculture, biotechnology, construction, veterinary, and other industries. And here is a real-life example of adopting 1LIMS in the food and beverage sector.
Micarna Group is a leading meat producer in Switzerland, producing more than 4,500 products and employing nearly 3,052 people. To ensure high product quality standards, the company has a quality control laboratory that processes from 100 to 200 samples daily with just three technicians.
Apart from the heavy workload and increased risk of human error, Micarna relied on Excel sheets and paper documents. Such data handling methods posed challenges in maintaining accuracy and ensuring compliance with regulatory standards. Realizing the need to streamline their laboratory management process, Micarna turned to 1LIMS.
Working in close collaboration with Micarna’s experts, we ensured a seamless transition of the master data and sampling plans from SAP to 1LIMS and implemented the system at all 23 Micarna locations. As a result, the chaotic paper workflow turned into an organized, automated system.
Here are the core improvements that became possible with 1LIMS implementation:
As a result, 1LIMS made data management at Micarna 50% faster while also lowering per-sample analysis costs.
In case you need more details, read the full case study.
So if you’re looking to implement a robust system like 1LIMS into your lab workflow, you can expect significant improvements in laboratory performance and cost reduction. Still, there are different types of LIMS that cater to specific laboratory needs. So, let’s explore the most common LIMS types to better understand the difference.
There are three most popular types of LIMS: open-source, traditional, and SaaS, each providing unique features and capabilities.
Open-source LIMS solutions offer wide customization options, as the source code is freely available for modification. Laboratories can tailor the system to their specific needs, but implementation and maintenance may require additional technical expertise.
Traditional LIMSs are on-premises systems installed directly on the laboratory servers. They offer robust data management features and full control over security and data privacy. However, such solutions require significant upfront investment in hardware, software, and ongoing technical support and maintenance.
SaaS LIMS are cloud-hosted, so you can access them from anywhere with an Internet connection. They offer lower upfront costs, rapid deployment, and scalability as the burden of managing hardware infrastructure, software updates, and technical support is shifted to the service provider. A potential disadvantage of this solution is that any connection issues could disrupt your laboratory workflow.
Now that you know a bit more about the most popular LIMS types, let’s consider some essential features you should look at when choosing LIMS.
It’s important to note that each industry has unique workflows and data management specifics that affect the final choice of LIMS. For instance, LIMS tailored for the pharmaceutical sector will include features for tracking batch records, manufacturing history, and distribution of pharmaceutical products. On the other hand, a system used in the food and beverage industry will provide functionalities for tracing ingredients, suppliers, and production lots throughout the supply chain.
However, in general, all LIMS, regardless of their type, must include some key functionalities. Let’s look closer at them.
Quality control laboratories handle hundreds of product samples daily, so it’s crucial to have all sample data kept in one place. With centralized data management, lab technicians can effortlessly retrieve data from a single source, eliminating the need to search through multiple databases or paper records.
When sample details, test results, and other relevant information are available on one platform, laboratory staff, and external stakeholders can collaborate in real-time, improving productivity and making the process faster.
For example, with 1LIMS, you can control your orders via one intuitive dashboard, viewing all order requests and their real-time statuses. The system also allows you to quickly search for the required orders using customizable filters and see comments and attachments.
All your contacts, articles, parameters, test items, and test plans are organized in one place – Master Data – so that you can seamlessly access and share them.
The backbone of any LIMS is efficient sample management, which involves the systematic tracking, handling, and processing of samples throughout their lifecycle. Here, we can highlight such features as barcode label generation and scanning, test plans that help manage sample processing steps, chain of custody tracking, reporting, and more. With these functions implemented, LIMS can reduce the risk of errors, enhance traceability, and accelerate turnaround times for test results.
1LIMS offers automated laboratory workflows that help reduce sample analysis time from hours to minutes. The system adjusts your testing frequency based on calculated risks and automatically triggers a retest when initial results deviate from the norm. You can also generate QR/barcode labels for any sample and print them directly from 1LIMS without switching between systems and apps.
Integrations play a crucial role in any LIMS, enabling seamless data flow between the system and various laboratory instruments and software applications. When data is automatically transferred between systems, it minimizes manual intervention, reducing errors and improving accuracy.
With 1LIMS, you can seamlessly transfer data from your ERP, MES, or CRM, as well as laboratory devices. This way you reduce manual effort and facilitate collaboration between departments. It also offers an interface to external service labs to automate ordering and results reporting.
Besides, the software offers email integration by connecting to Gmail, Outlook, or other email providers to automate email sending.
Quality control laboratories transform raw data into reports. Test results are automatically recorded and stored in the LIMS database, where they are analyzed, interpreted, and reported using customizable templates. LIMS allows users to instantly generate COA (certificate of analysis) reports and other documents for regulatory agencies or internal stakeholders.
If we’re talking about 1LIMS, the system has a report generator that allows you to generate COA and Technical Data Sheets in a matter of seconds. You can adjust templates to match your brand and save them for future use.
All industries need to follow strict regulatory requirements when testing products, especially in healthcare, pharmaceuticals, and food and beverage. Compliance ensures the validity of laboratory processes and data, reducing the risk of fines or legal consequences.
LIMS providers offer audit trails that maintain detailed records of all quality control activities, including changes to test methods, instrument configurations, and user actions. With every step documented, you can easily trace any changes, while an eSignature will show you who approved these changes. LIMS enhances traceability and makes any inspections or audits stress-free.
With 1LIMS, audit trails are automatically generated to provide you with a clear record of any tweaks and modifications in the system. By simply entering the input number, you get detailed information on any sample.
To protect sensitive data, you can assign roles and permissions to employees so that only responsible people can access relevant information. For example, only lab managers are authorized to approve critical reports and results.
Using LIMS brings substantial business value across various industries, streamlining workflows and ensuring compliance with regulatory standards. As all relevant data is securely stored on a single platform, laboratories can facilitate real-time collaboration among stakeholders and ensure that data is accessible.
When thinking of whether you need LIMS or not, mind that it’s not just about upgrading the technology. It’s about transforming your laboratory operations. And 1LIMS can definitely cope with this task. From automating processes to seamlessly integrating with laboratory instruments and external service labs, 1LIMS can help boost your team performance and enhance overall laboratory efficiency.
If you want to see how 1LIMS can improve your laboratory workflow, book a demo to see it in action.
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