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The following page contains information on:
LIMS, TQM and ISO 9000: Are They Linked?
Dionex Environmental Seminars Highlight Chromatography
Data Systems
New Windows-based Multitechnique Software Available
from Hewlett-Packard
Beckman Enhances Software Ad Hoc Reporting Features
Hewlett-Packard Introduces Shelf-Life Study Software
Scientific Graphics and Analysis Program Available
from GraphPad Software
National Instruments Offers Two New Software Versions
for Driver Developers
Much of the news about quality programs concentrates on corporate goals
and policies without getting down to the nitty-gritty of what such a vendor
program means to the user buying the product. But at its most basic level,
there are direct ties between TQM and ISO 9000 programs and end-product
quality and support.
According to Bob Hillhouse, Managing Director of Fisons/VG Laboratory Systems,
the ultimate purpose of Total Quality Management (TQM) is to "increase
the efficiency of the organization and to improve the process of doing business.
Our TQM program helps us to run the business, while ISO 9001 gives us the
tools to know the processes we have within each area and when to implement
changes. In fact, ISO 9001 is the first step in TQM and a key momentum for
continuous improvement. It also ensures that quality issues are part of
our day-to-day business processes."
LIMS fall inside the scope of such quality programs. This is important because
many LIMS purchasers require highly integrated solutions that connect to
Manufacturing Resource Planning (MRP), process and other business systems.
Such complex integrations require the LIMS vendor to provide total solutions
that include not just the product but strong training and support programs
-- which are often defined by the quality system. Indeed, LIMS solutions
are usually implemented in a regulatory and/or an ISO 9000 production environment
where quality management, system validation and Just In Time (JIT) processes
are important day to day issues.
"The introduction of an ISO 9001 engineering environment has provided
our customers with continuous product improvements, automated test validation
tools, and improved customer services. Our greatest challenge to the end
of the millennium is bigger than innovative products and customer satisfaction,"
Hillhouse continues. "It's to delight our customers absolutely through
value, price and innovation at all stages of our customer relationship."
Dionex Environmental Seminars Highlight
Chromatography Data Systems
Dionex recently hosted a series of seminars throughout the US to highlight
their solutions for environmental applications. The PeakNet chromatography
workstation was introduced, as well as a discussion of GALP compliance issues.
A Windows-based chromatography workstation, PeakNet has a universal interface
that can link traditional instruments, such as GCs and HPLCs, to a local
area network (LAN). Designed to meet key requirements of GLP and GALP, the
software development complies with ISO 9001, while development history and
calculations are documented in on-line Help. Validation, traceability and
audit trail features are embedded throughout the system.
New Windows-based Multitechnique Software
Available from Hewlett-Packard
Hewlett-Packard has introduced
a Windows-based ChemStation software package for multitechnique instrument
control, and data acquisition, analysis and reporting. The new software
produces complete control, automation and data handling for up to four instruments,
including HP's gas chromatograph (GC), liquid chromatograph (LC), and capillary
electrophoresis (CE) systems. An analog-to-digital (A/D) interface option
is available for acquiring data from non-HP instruments.
Beckman Enhances Software Ad Hoc Reporting
Features
A user-friendly Ad-Hoc Report Writer is now available with Beckman's Windows-based
LabManager C/S and PeakPro® C/S solutions. With the new client/server
software, the PC client to displays the report results and allows the user
to save, print or paste the results into another PC application. The software
permits a choice of tabular, group, cross tab or graph reports.
Hewlett-Packard Introduces Shelf-Life Study
Software
A software application that helps laboratories manage studies that demonstrate
the stability of a product during its shelf life has been introduced by
Hewlett-Packard for its ChemLMS
product. HP ChemStudy Stability helps users define a shelf-life study and
maintain a schedule for it, as well as organize and report study information
-- all within guidelines set forth by regulating agencies such as the US
FDA.
Scientific Graphics and Analysis Program
Available from GraphPad Software
A new Windows program for scientific graphics and analysis, GraphPad Prism
allows users to enter data, click once, and have the software graph and
analyze the next experiment without the need for batch files or macros.
The software analyzes all related data sets at once, without the need to
repeat commands for each set of data. Analyses include nonlinear regression,
survival analysis and two-way ANOVA.
National Instruments Offers Two New Software
Versions for Driver Developers
New versions of National Instruments' LabVIEW® and LabWindows® instrumentation
software are available. LabView 3.1 graphical instrumentation software features
new configuration management tools and direct calls to DLLs and shared libraries.
A VISA Transition Library (VTL) gives instrument driver developers and users
an upgrade path to next-generation architecture. LabWindows/CVI 3.0.1 offers
developers and C programmers the ability to automatically create stand-alone
executable programs and distribution kits with installer programs. A Test
Executive Toolkit allows users to automate sequencing of test programs using
ANSI C programming language.