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Documented Processes Improve Data Management
AlliedSignal Environmental Catalyst Relies on
LIMS
New Book Available
Does it seem like you're always playing catch-up? Once you finish one project,
are you always late to start the next? If you're caught in the catch-up
cycle, maybe it's time to stop and think about the process. Specifically,
how can you change the picture?
There's no black and white answer of course, but there are answers. How
well lab data is managed is a function of not just how the data is accessed,
but also how the data access process is performed. There's no separating
process from results any more. This is one of the reasons why documentation
systems such as ISO 9000 are being implemented in the lab. Such process-oriented
analysis through documentation -- and the resulting improvements via process
controls -- help streamline and automate work functions.
The key to eliminating catch-up involves uncovering process bottlenecks,
then supplying the tools and technology necessary to streamline or re-engineer
the process. Knowing what those tools and technology should be often requires
documenting processes to target what needs to be changed.
For instance, when labs document processes, they may find that work can
be performed, say, 30% faster if they were able to take advantage of the
latest full-featured software. If their current LIMS can't utilize this
leading edge software, the door to increased productivity is shut until
the LIMS is upgraded. Measuring the costs associated with change can confirm
the return on investment achieved with the upgrade, making it easier to
justify future modifications.
Or, labs who take several steps to perform an analysis might discover that
only a few are really necessary. Data collected on the other steps is extraneous,
merely adding to the volume of lab data without adding to its value. Such
information is only apparent when a process is documented to determine what
steps are actually occurring and then analyzing the steps to determine if
they add value or are just being done because they've always been done.
Documenting processes doesn't have the desired effect, however, when measures
aren't put in place to segment where improvements can be made. Without measurements,
there's no knowing which are the right areas to improve, there are only
assumptions. Labs who thought that a more sophisticated reporting software
would be the answer to their prayers, might find that in reality more query
capability was needed.
Any documented process improvement system that measures processes can improve
lab data management. Because there are so many different parts to the process
of managing lab data, and each part of the process has the potential to
conflict with another, documenting the processes is key to segmenting and
eliminating bottlenecks and roadblocks. If you know how your processes operate,
you know where to add value, and you know how to get the most out of your
laboratory data.
AlliedSignal Environmental Catalyst Relies
on LIMS
The quality control laboratory at AlliedSignal Environmental Catalysts,
a worldwide manufacturer of automotive catalysts, analyzes all the in-process
samples, materials, and coating solutions used to manufacture catalytic
converters. That can mean up to 4,000 samples each month, and up to 50 assays
per sample, using several types of analytical instrumentation.
According to the company spokesman Dave Holdeman, AlliedSignal uses Varian's
PC-based StarLIMS to manage all of the data collection using a network that
is connected directly into the process area, chemical prep area, plant operations
office, and pilot plant facility. "A direct link between the lab and
the marketing and R&D areas provides these departments with instant
information about the status of orders, helping them to improve customer
service," he states.
Every day, up to 45 people use the LIMS to either enter or retrieve information,
with as many as 20 to 25 people on-line at any given time. At any point,
a user can log in a sample or determine the status of a previously submitted
sample.
Based on the success of their LIMS in the U.S., "we recently installed
a Spanish language version in AlliedSignal's San Luis Potosi, Mexico plant,
and will soon be installing it in our Florange, France operation,"
Holdeman adds.
New Book Available
A new book entitled "LabVIEW Graphical
Programming: Practical Applications in Instrumentation and Control"
is now available. Written by Gary W. Johnson, an instrumentation engineer
at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, the book helps users learn how
to use National Instruments' LabVIEW product with desktop computers to develop
automated instrumentation systems for engineering and scientific applications.
A programming tutorial as well as a system development guide, it includes
detailed examples and advice for creating applications in physics, automated
test, and process monitoring and control. The book also includes a floppy
disk with example programs. For more information, contact McGraw-Hill Professional
Book Group at 1-800-2-MCGRAW.