The following is a wrap-up of news of interest during
the months of January and February 1999.COMPEX N.V. Sets Up Office in Germany
LabSystems Releases Upgrade for SampleManager
LIMS
LabSystems Releases New Atlas 99
Real World Interface Brings Real Time Control
to PDVSA
Dublin Corporation Seeks LIMS
Professor Dr. Ursula Spichiger to Speak at LIMS
'99
StarLIMS' Users Elect Committee
Nominations Sought for 1999 LIMS Award
LabSystems to Showcase New LIMS at Pittcon '99
Perkin-Elmer Year 2000 Trade-In Plan
Beckman Coulter Announces New Pinnacle Chromatography
Data System (CDS)
Compex Wins Ernst & Young "Enterprise
of the Year 1998" Award
Accelerated Technology Laboratories, Inc Moves
to New Offices in North Carolina
Scandinavian Refineries Select LabSystems LIMS
European LIMS End-User Survey Now Available
LabSystems Introduces New LIMS Brochure
COMPEX N.V. Sets Up Office in Germany
The establishment of Compex Germany is the latest step in the development
of an international organization structure around its' Unilab 4 (LIMS) and
proCX (Batch & Recipe Management) solutions which have been implemented
at a number of major industrial companies in the food & beverage and
biotechnology industries in Germany. Via its recently set up German offices
in Hallbergmoos (Munich Airport), Compex will be able to offer even better
service to its current German customers. These customers include Kraft Jacobs
Suchard, Langnese-Iglo, Union Deutsche Lebensmittelwerke, and Veltins Brewery.
Moreover, thanks to its highly accessible location, the German subsidiary
of Compex is an ideal operating base for tapping new opportunities in Germany
and in the neighbouring countries of Austria and Switzerland, where Compex
has installations as well. For details contact Compex at +32 54 31 26 10
or +49 811 83 67 90 or surf their site at http://www.compex.be/
LabSystems Releases Upgrade for SampleManager
LIMS
LabSystems has released version 4.1 of its SampleManager LIMS. Version 4.1
brings desktop ease-of-use and integration functionality to other supported
platforms -- UNIX and OVMS -- that are already offered by the NT version
of SampleManager 4.0. With 4.1, the graphical user interface (GUI) has been
further optimized with more Explorer interface cures. In addition, improvements
to GLP and GMP compliance have been added, part of which is the provision
of Electronic Signatures to FDA Final Rule 21 CFR part 11. For additional
details, contact LabSystems at 800-719-1853 or surf their web site at http://www.labsystems.com
LabSystems Releases New Atlas 99
LabSystems has released Atlas 99 just in time for a Pittcon showing. The
new release supports Electronic Signatures in compliance with 21 CFR part
11; a powerful Security Service feature to aid regulatory compliance; and,
Gel Permeation Chromatography and a new summary reporting package. For additional
details, contact LabSystems at 800-719-1853 or surf their web site at http://www.labsystems.com
Real World Interface Brings Real Time Control
to PDVSA
To maintain its competitive edge in the oil industry, Petroleos de Venezuela,
SA (PDVSA reduced the time which elapses between crude extraction and the
loading of its tankers, and maintained both the quality of supplied product
and a clean environment with the implementation of a StarLIMS system which
could plan and control maintenance and monitor operations. StarLIMS' straightforward
and intuitive RealWorld interface addressed PDVSA's need for ease of use
and accessibility by users of all technical levels. For additional details,
surf the L.I.M.S. USA web site at http://www.starlims.com
Dublin Corporation Seeks LIMS
Dublin Corporation, Ireland has advertised in the Official Journal of the
European Union for the supply of a LIMS and associated software. Full details
are available from The Principal Officer, Engineering Department, Block
1 Floor 4, Civic Office, Dublin 8, Ireland. Tel: +353-1-6722022 or 6722393.
Fax: +353-1-6703054.
Professor Dr. Ursula Spichiger to Speak at
LIMS '99
Professor Dr. Ursula Spichiger will be the keynote speaker at the upcoming
1999 International LIMS Conference, LIMS '99, to be held in Basel, Switzerland
from June 23-25, 1999. The head of the Centre for Chemical Sensors / Biosensor
and bioAnalytical Chemistry at ETH-Zurich, Ursula Spichiger's presentation
is entitled "Lab in the Bag: Automated continuous yield of chemical
information by sensor arrays." For details, surf the LIMS '99 web site
at http://www.limsconf.com.
StarLIMS' Users Elect Committee
StarLIMS users representing over one hundred labs convened in Miami for
an international user group conference. The users, guided by Bruce Tidd
of SE Technologies who brought his experience in developing the BAAN User
Group, elected the first formal StarLIMS User Group Committee. Formalization
of the StarLIMS User Group provides a visible and focused conduit of information,
assistance and knowledge throughout the international StarLIMS community.
Representatives of Procter & Gamble, Chevron, Phillips Petroleum, Wyeth
Ayerst, Baxter, The Inst. of In Vitro Sciences, Montell and Stablex will
lead the first committee. For details, visit the StarLIMS USA web site at
http://www.starlims.com.
Nominations Sought for 1999 LIMS Award
The LIMS Institute is seeking nominations for the 1999 LIMS Award. The LIMS
Award was established to recognize and honor distinguished service to the
LIMS community. Members of the LIMS community who have done work worthy
of note toward 1) increasing knowledge in Laboratory Information Management;
2) promoting the LIMS Industry; and, 3) advancing the LIMS discipline are
eligible for consideration. Nomination forms may be obtained from Gerst
A. Gibbon, President, The LIMS Institute, 1416 Severn Street, Pittsburgh,
PA 15217. E-mail: lims@juno.com. The
deadline for submission of nominations is April 15, 1999. The award winner
will be announced at the 1999 International LIMS Conference, LIMS-99, in
Basel, Switzerland, June 23-35, 1999.
LabSystems to Showcase New LIMS at Pittcon
'99
LabSystems will be focusing on new products in their booth at the Pittcon
'99 conference in Orlando this coming March. On display and available will
be their new Nautilus LIMS and ATLAS, their new Chromatorgraphy Data System
(CDS). Nautilus is highlighted for the first time at Pittcon along with
a new technology called Workflows which reflects and mirrors the individual
working environment and practices of any laboratory. Also on show will be
the next version of Labsystems' enterprise LIMS, SampleManager. Making its
debut will be SampleManager's integrated solution set for AspenTech's Process
Information Management System, InfoPlus 21. In addition, Labsystems will
highlight instrument integration and control capabilities in both LIMS and
CDS. For more information, surf their web site at http://www.labsystems.com
Perkin-Elmer Year 2000 Trade-In Plan
Perkin-Elmer has announced an analytical instrumentation trade-in program
to save money and reduce Year 2000 concerns. They are accepting non-compliant
analytical instruments of any vintage and from any manufacturer when upgrading
to a Year 2000 compliant Perkin-Elmer analytical instrument. The Year 2000
Trade-In Program provides a 15 percent discount on the purchase of any new
instrument or instrument system with the trade-in of a similar product.
For details, contact Perkin-Elmer at 800-762-4000 or 203-762-4000.
Beckman Coulter Announces New Pinnacle Chromatography
Data System (CDS)
Beckman Coulter has announced a new CDS that does not depend on a previous
design, but is completely designed from the ground up to address today's
technology and market needs. With a focus on ease of use, the new Pinnacle
CDS is an intuitive system that is ideal for medium- to large-scale laboratories
with requirements for fast handling of complex data, security and reliable
enterprise-wide operation. Pinnacle was developed using Human Factors Principles,
a development process that incorporates formal usability testing and user
input at every step. The new system is intuitive and easily guides users
through procedures. Pinnacle is scaleable up to an entire enterprise-wide
system. For more information, contact Beckman Coulter at 201-760-7219 or
visit their web site at http://www.beckmancoulter.com.
Compex Wins Ernst & Young "Enterprise
of the Year 1998" Award
Compex N.V. has received the Ernst & Young "Enterprise of the Year
1998" Award for its dynamic, innovative approach to business. An initiative
of the international consultancy firm Ernst & Young, the award recognizes
dynamic, innovative companies that are likely to continue their excellent
performance in the future. Compex N.V. was selected from a short list of
6 finalists and was the only software company so honored. The competition
is limited to companies that achieve at least a 50 percent increase of either
their revenue, their added value, or their work force during the period
1992-1997. For details, contact Compex N.V. at +32 54 32 47 48 or surf their
web site at http://www.compex.be
Accelerated Technology Laboratories, Inc Moves
to New Offices in North Carolina
Accelerated Technology Laboratories is rapidly expanding its operations
and is relocating its California headquarters to new offices in North Carolina.
In addition to the move ATL has also opened a new office in Reno, NV. This
move will allow ATL to continue to expand its current
operations and provide its customers with excellent technical support from
the Eastern Time zone to the Pacific Time zone.
Scandinavian Refineries Select LabSystems
LIMS
Statoil Refineries in Mongstad, Norway and in Kalundberg, Denmark recently
approved the decision to install LIMS from LabSystems. Statoil, the third
largest exporter of oil in the world, is the first company to specify the
new integrated process solution offered by LabSystems and AspenTech which
links laboratory and plant information management systems. The investment
is part of an overall contract totalling $10M for replacement and updating
of the Statoil refinery systems. The LIMS installation is part of a twenty-two
month project, during which the existing refinery control and LIMS on both
sites are being totally upgraded to a LabSystems SampleManager client/server
Oracle-based LIMS. The Statoil installations in Denmark and Norway will
allow each site's laboratory and plant personnel to access and analyze each
other's data. Plant engineers will be able to quickly reference lab data
to adjust the operation of the plant to maintain quality and optimize economic
performance. Similarly, the integration will enable laboratory workers to
better understand how the plant is actually running, and therefore how to
best focus future analyses. For more information, contact LabSystems at
http://www.labsystems.com
European LIMS End-User Survey Now Available
The latest edition of the SDi LIMS User Survey has just been published by
Strategic Directions International. Compiled through surveys of LIMS end-users,
the survey reveals that the most important criteria for LIMS are now considered
to be Year 2000 compliance, sample log-in, data entry and testing, systems
security, and validation and approval. For details, contact Strategic Directions
International in Europe at +33 1 3099-6250.
LabSystems Introduces New LIMS Brochure
A new LIMS brochure is available free of charge from LabSystems. The 8-page
piece provides an introduction to SampleManager, their enterprise LIMS solution,
and delivers an overview of the system features and specifications, core
functionality, enhanced functionality, and a list of modules such as statistical
quality control, batch management, stability studies, water management,
and more. For a copy of the brochure, contact LabSystems at 800-719-1853
or email at webmaster@labsystems.com