• Waters Corporation Acquires Creon Lab Control
• InnaPhase Finalizes Acquisition of Beckman Coulter's Laboratory
• NextGen Sciences and LabVantage Solutions Sign Agreement for Proteomics Research Sample Management
• Shaw Solutions Changes Name to Promadis
• Indiana University School of InformaticsSelects LabVantage Sapphire
• Autoscribe Announces New Release of Matrix ICMS
• Liquent Powers StarLIMS' Next-Generation Integrated Document & Data Management Solutions
• Siemens Automation and Drives (A&D) Presents Simatic IT Unilab V 5.0
• Thermo Electron Delivers SampleManager 2003 LIMS
• Thermo Electron Delivers Nautilus 2003 LIMS
• Thermo Electron Presents Latest Informatics Advances at Drug Discovery Technology 2003
• LabAnalyst.NET Now Available as a Hosted Application
• Accelerated Technology Laboratories Forms Strategic Alliance with American Agricultural Services
• Accelerated Technology Laboratories Partners with Northwest Analytical
• Eastern Province Cement Company Modernizes Control System with ABB’s Industrial IT
• NuGenesis SDMS v6.01 Now Released New Features Include Apple Mac OS Support
• NuGenesis Technologies and Metrohm Announce Partnership for NuGenesis SDMS
• Scientific Software and Agilent Technologies Announce Software Control for the Agilent 3000 Micro GC for
EZChrom Elite Chromatography Data System
• NWA Enhances Process Monitoring & Reporting Enterprise & Supply Chain
• Labtronics Releases New Solution for SOP Automation
• BioMedion Partners with Labtronics for Instrument Interfacing to BM-windream
• Mettler Toledo and Labtronics Connect on LIMS Integration
• ARC Advisory Group Releases Acquisition Planning for Software-Intensive Plant Systems Study
• Enterprise Asset Management Market to Grow to $1.9 Billion by 2007
• Study: Market Research Averages $5.5 Million per New Drug

Waters Corporation Acquires Creon Lab Control

Waters Corporation has announced it has successfully completed the acquisition of Creon Lab Control (CLC) of Cologne, Germany for approximately $16 million. CLC has been privately held company with a legacy specializing in Laboratory Information Management Software (LIMS) solutions and expected 2003 sales of approximately $10 million. This acquisition is expected to have no material impact on Waters earnings for 2003. Most recently, CLC has introduced the Q-DIS/DRAGON products for Electronic Lab Notebooks (ELN) and the Q-DIS/PANDA products for Laboratory Data Management Software (LDMS). Waters sees the ELN and LDMS applications as complementary technologies that, when integrated with Waters Empower Chromatography Soft ware and MassLynx 4.0 Software applications, provide the basis for a total lab informatics solution. "The acquisition of CLC provides Waters with a broader portfolio of technology and products to help users manage lab information ," said Art Caputo, President of the Waters Division of Waters Corporation.  "CLC's products will extend W aters market-leading position in data management software to deliv er the most comprehensive and integrated solutions for today's labs." CLC will continue to offer their products and services to the marketplace while tightening their field sales association with Waters worldwide sales force. Development integration will continue to improve as both teams work to provide seamless access to laboratory information from wherever the user is located. For details, visit http://www.waters.com.

InnaPhase Finalizes Acquisition of Beckman Coulter's Laboratory

InnaPhase Corporation, a privately-owned software company and a leading provider of LIMS solutions for the life sciences market, has announced it has closed the transaction with Beckman Coulter, Inc. to acquire Beckman Coulter's Laboratory Automation Operations (LAO) that was announced in May of this year. Details of the cash transaction were not disclosed. Beckman Coulter's Laboratory Automation Operations has been a leading provider of LIMS used for the collection and management of data in pharmaceutical research and development processes. The acquisition expands InnaPhase Corporation's portfolio of pharmaceutical solutions and catapults InnaPhase to the position of one of the largest LIMS vendor in the world The transaction is also an important element of InnaPhase Corporation's pharmaceutical enterprise software strategy. Pharmaceutical accounts represent over half of the LAO user base; the market norm for other LIMS vendors is only 17%. InnaPhase is the only LIMS vendor that develops LIMS solutions vertically, specifically for markets such as the Pharmaceutical industry. In 2004, InnaPhase Corporation will release Thompson for non-Pharmaceutical users, which will specifically address their information management needs. Beckman Coulter's LAO systems are installed in over 1,600 laboratories worldwide and are seamlessly integrated with other Enterprise Resource Planning systems (ERPs) such as SAP, SSA BPCS, Maracm Prism, Documentum, and MFG Pro etc. The vast majority of these installations are in the pharmaceutical industry. For details, visit http://www.innaphase.com.

NextGen Sciences and LabVantage Solutions Sign Agreement for Proteomics Research Sample Management

NextGen Sciences Ltd., a company developing and manufacturing platform technologies for protein research, and LabVantage Solutions, Inc., a leading provider of Enterprise LIMS and Life Sciences LIMS solutions, have announced that they have signed a definitive Software Distribution Agreement that authorizes NextGen Sciences to resell and use LabVantage Sapphire Life Science LIMS. The agreement authorizes NextGen Sciences to fully integrate and leverage LabVantage’s Sapphire Life Sciences LIMS within NextGen Sciences’ ExpressionFactory for automated protein expression. The Expression Factory combines a suite of novel biochemical tools with a completely integrated robotics system to express hundreds of proteins in parallel, and with complete automation capability to streamline the research process. The Expression Factory has an “expert” bioinformatics system called the Information Management System (IMS) that guides the researchers through the processes by which new expression constructs are created, and are then used to express proteins in bacterial and insect hosts. IMS includes extensive data handling, sample management, genealogy tracking, and rich workflow automation to manage these processes. The agreement provides NextGen Sciences access to LabVantage’s powerful Sapphire LIMS information system, which when fully integrated with NextGen Sciences’ IMS, meets these exacting infrastructure requirements.
LabVantage Sapphire Life Sciences LIMS addresses unique proteomics needs by offering precisely traceable sample management that helps accelerate the investigation of new targets. Sapphire Life Sciences LIMS supports all documentation needs for 21 CFR Part 11 compliance. For details, visit http://www.labvantage.com or http://www.nextgenscien ces.com/index.htm.

Shaw Solutions Changes Name to Promadis

Six months ago, Shaw Solutions began reviewing their company presentation to the marketplaces in which they operate with the objective of keeping their client relationships while moving to better embrace their markets, especially overseas. The most visible change in this process is happening right now. As of 1st August 2003, the name "Shaw Solutions" will cease.  In its place will be the new name for both their company and their products: PROMADIS. Many other things are also changing including their web site, documentation formats and more. 
Their business information will remain unchanged including address, ABN, phone numbers, fax , etc. For details, visit http://www.promadis.com.

Indiana University School of InformaticsSelects LabVantage Sapphire

LabVantage Solutions, Inc., a leading provider of Enterprise LIMS and Life Sciences LIMS solutions, has announced that Indiana University, one of the country’s academic leaders in information technology, has selected LabVantage Sapphire Life Sciences LIMS for its School of Informatics. The new school is the first in the United States devoted exclusively to the emerging field of informatics. The school initiated a new Laboratory Informatics Graduate Program, which will admit its inaugural class in the autumn of 2003. This program, the first of its kind in the country, will be taught in a new, state-of-the-art research facility on the Indianapolis campus. The curriculum, culminating in an M.S. degree, will offer general courses in informatics, and specialized courses in laboratory informatics, covering, for example, data acquisition, instrument interfacing, laboratory robotics, chromatography data systems, laboratory information management systems, electronic laboratory notebooks, regulatory compliance, quality control, and scientific data management. Project management and system selection, implementation, and validation will also be taught. For details, visit http://www.labvantage.com.

Autoscribe Announces New Release of Matrix ICMS

Autoscribe Ltd. has announced a new release of Matrix ICMS that provides a convenient method of maintaining records of all equipment on a company site. Originally designed for laboratory equipment applications, the latest version is now suitable for all equipment and devices that require records of calibration and maintenance. The system holds and reports on three classes of important information - instrument inventory, instrument calibration and instrument maintenance. It can schedule calibration and maintenance intervals and issue reminders when the next action is needed. When used with the Autoscribe Matrix LIMS, it can ensure that only valid instruments are scheduled for testing. The latest version of ICMS also includes records of electrical safety checking. In addition, an instrument system (e.g. HPLC) can be linked to components (e.g. detector, pump, etc) which can be individually managed. Matrix ICMS can be supplied as a standalone product with a suite of reports and a typical screen configuration that is installable out-of-the-box. Alternatively, it can be supplied as a configurable system allowing screen and menu changes, for example. In the latter case, implementation assistance is available if required. Additionally the system can be supplied as an add-on module for Matrix LIMS. For details, visit http://www.autoscribe.co.uk.

Liquent Powers StarLIMS' Next-Generation Integrated Document & Data Management Solutions

L.I.M.S. (USA) Inc. ("L.i.M.S."), the developers of the StarLIMS, laboratory information management system, has announced an OEM agreement with Liquent, Inc., a global leader in regulatory publishing, intelligence, and intellectual property solutions, to enhance L.i.M.S.' next-generation Document and Data Management Solutions.
New regulatory requirements for electronic record management specify a complete record comprising not only traditional database fields but also a full archive of related information such as chromatograms, spectra, raw data
files and more. The mass of information a lab generates presents a challenge to lab management. Scientists are required to correctly store and catalog the results and reports they create. In the past information was printed,
which resulted in storage and tracking problems. In addition, the opportunity to share vital data with others does not occur. Valuable information is not communicated, as no means to disseminate the information is available. StarDOC, the Document and Data Management module integrated into StarLIMS, simplifies this process with a comprehensive suite of tools to assist scientists in capturing documents and data, meta data tagging cataloging and circulating valuable information to the lab or any facility elsewhere in the organization. Integrating Liquent's Vista Framework provides StarDOC with full-fledged file rendering and transformation capabilities to convert over 100 types of commonly used files into XML. The next generation of StarDOC not only provides scientists with tools to securely store and share the original data and "picture" of the scientific report, as offered by currently available scientific data archival systems, but enables meaningful extraction of the data, setting the grounds for powerful querying and analysis of the information For details, visit http://www.liquent.com or http://www.starlims.com.

Siemens Automation and Drives (A&D) Presents Simatic IT Unilab V 5.0

Siemens Automation and Drives (A&D) has presented its new release 5.0 of LIMS Software: Simatic IT Unilab V 5.0 is integrated into Siemens´ MES-(Manufacturing Execution Systems-Software Simatic IT and comes with many new and extended functions. Simatic IT Unilab is available as a component of Simatic IT or as a stand-alone LIMS that can be easily configured to comply with specific needs of each laboratory – for Quality Control, Central Services and R&D. V 5.0 offers enhanced performance and more advanced web functionality, as well as compliancy to the FDA’s 21 CFR 11 regulation for electronic records and signatures and industry standards, such as ISO/IEC 17025. The new version offers as well as increased instrument connectivity, the possibility to connect handheld devices as pocket PC and tablet PC and a cost calculation module for invoicing and quotations. Furthermore, Simatic IT Unilab V 5.0 introduces a stability module to support stability testing of substances under environmental factors. With the native web user interface, LIMS users can create analysis requests for samples, view requests for analysis, enter analysis results and view the status of results via a web browser. By web, quality and sample information is available in no time for the complete manufacturing environment, both within the plant, the enterprise or even the supply chain. For independent labs, this means that information is available for customers at any time, increasing substantially the level of customer service. Specifically for independent or commercial labs, e.g. governmental labs, environmental labs, animal health labs or service labs for manufacturing environments, Simatic IT Unilab V5.0 offers a new cost calculation module. With this module, it is possible to calculate the cost of a request of analysis arriving in the lab based on price catalogues and provide accounting departments with invoice details for the particular request of analysis, thus automating the process of invoicing the lab customer. For details, visit http://www.simatic-it.de.

Thermo Electron Delivers SampleManager 2003 LIMS

Thermo Electron Corporation has announced the release of the latest generation of its flagship enterprise LIMS, SampleManager 2003 Release 1. The highlights of the new version include major functional enhancements to the SampleManager SQC (Statistical Quality Control) and Stability modules. A host of new features have also been incorporated to ease general system administration and to improve a user’s ability to review data when it is needed. Best known for its market leading LIMS products (SampleManager and Nautilus), chromatography data system solution (Atlas) and data archival and knowledge management solution (eRecordManager), Thermo’s informatics business was formerly known as Thermo LabSystems and Thermo Galactic. The latest enhancements to the SampleManager SQC module include: improved access to underlying data in a chart; the ability to exclude ‘bad points’ from a chart or add comments to a specific point; improved ease of navigation for SQC chart data selection; new powerful inventory functionality; and, a major update to matrix screens in Stability that allows users to benefit fully from the latest core SampleManager features. For details, visit http://www.thermolabsystems.com.

Thermo Electron Delivers Nautilus 2003 LIMS

Thermo Electron Corporation has announced that the latest version of its LIMS, Nautilus 2003 Release 1, has begun shipping to customers worldwide. Nautilus 2003 delivers a host of new features and enhancements designed to offer greater flexibility to boost user productivity, while also easing compliance with regulatory requirements relating to the auditing of scientific data. The most significant changes to Nautilus 2003 R1 over previous versions relate to functions for Result Entry and Auditing. For instance, Result Entry functionality now offers users more flexibility, including improved row ordering and switchable row/column highlighting. Barcode navigation has also been simplified for users In addition, Auditing functionality in Nautilus now enables audit tables of, for example, instrument or operator records in the LIMS database to be displayed in a hierarchy. This allows users to see more easily the relationships between tables and therefore view the audit trail. Nautilus Auditing has been redesigned using the latest Microsoft.NET Framework technology. With version 2003, Nautilus has been updated to operate running the Oracle 9i database, and has been fully validated on that platform. To allow customers to take advantage of the latest Windows technology, Nautilus 2003 R1 has also been validated to run on Microsoft Windows XP. Nautilus 2003 Release 1 is being shipped as a major software release to all supported customers, with full printed documentation available on request. For details, visit http://www.thermolabsystems.com.

Thermo Electron Presents Latest Informatics Advances at Drug Discovery Technology 2003

Thermo Electron will be exhibiting new advances with its suite of laboratory informatics solutions at the Drug Discovery Technology 2003 Congress, taking place at the Hynes Convention Center, Boston, MA, from August 10-15. The annual Drug Discovery Technology Congress is the premiere event for drug discovery researchers and business executives to evaluate and understand the latest advances and information in drug discovery. In addition to supporting compliance with 21 CFR Part 11, Thermo’s suite of systems equip researchers with the knowledge to generate leads, terminate flawed projects early, and make more informed decisions. The informatics business of Thermo Electron, formerly doing business separately as Thermo LabSystems and Thermo Galactic, will focus booth presentations in Boston on its Nautilus LIMS and the eRecordManager solution for data archival and knowledge management. For details, visit http://www.thermolabsystems.com or http://www.drugdisc.com.

LabAnalyst.NET Now Available as a Hosted Application

LabAnalyst.NET, Finna Technologies' XML-based LIMS, is now available as a hosted application. This is an Application Service Provider (ASP) model, but instead of a limited browser interface, the rich, full-featured LabAnalyst.NET Windows client software is used to securely access data over the web. Security, a prime consideration in an ASP model, is addressed by a default lock-down of the database server that also limits access to authorized users only. Additional advanced security measures are available if required. Client data is secured while in transit across the web using public-key cryptography, the most advanced form of encryption available today. This allows compliance with regulations such as 21 CFR 11, while operating in an Internet environment. For laboratories on a tight budget, or with limited IT resources, this model is financially attrractive: pricing is as low as $995 per month. For details, visit http://www.FinnaTech.com.

Accelerated Technology Laboratories Forms Strategic Alliance with American Agricultural Services

Accelerated Technology Laboratories (ATL) will be offering its clients LIMS integration with American Agricultural Services iAdvantage Project Management Assistance, a web-based study management system that combines the flexibility of the Internet with the power of Oracle. iAdvantage is an advanced study management system for the agrochemical and Ag-Biotechnology industries. iAdvantage provides study definitions, generated field trial notebooks, and manages study protocols, ad hoc queries and numerous report formats that are easily generated in a work processing software of choice (complete with tables). In addition to offering iAdvantage, ATL will also offer iAdvantage Document Generator as an additional reporting tool bundled with its Sample Master Pro LIMS. For details, visit http://www.atlab.com.

Accelerated Technology Laboratories Partners with Northwest Analytical

Accelerated Technology Laboratories (ATL) has announced a partnership with Northwest Analytical Inc. (NWA). NWA specializes in providing SPC charting and analysis software for a wide variety of industries, enabling better understanding of processes, enhancing productivity and quality. NWA’s flagship product is Quality Analyst, an SPC charting and analysis software that provides a powerful, flexible, easy to use statistical package. ATL offers seamless integration of Quality Analyst with ATL’s Sample Master Pro and ScreenIT LIMS. This integration allows users to track customer supplied product, provide traceability, record inspection and testing data, import instrument data, control non-conforming product and perform statistical analysis of results. For details, visit http://www.atlab.com or http://www.nwasoft.com.

Eastern Province Cement Company (EPCC), Saudi Arabia, Modernizes Control System with ABB’s Industrial IT

ABB, a leader in power and automation technologies, has announced that the commissioning of the new control systems was successfully completed by Eastern Province Cement Company (EPCC), Saudi Arabia, The contract value for the modernization of EPCC’s process control system facilities, for which the order was received in November 2001, exceeded seven million Swiss Francs. The main scope of supply of the turnkey contract included the equipment for local and remote control. ABB’s Industrial IT provided the platform necessary. The implementation of a new control system for both cement production lines (1&2) and the seven stacker / reclaimers included the installation of 20 Control IT AC800M controllers, automation of 15 000 IO’s, 15 workplaces with operator workplaces to replace the existing control room equipment, as well as three connectivity servers. In addition, the order also included a revamp of the four bulk weighing systems for silos and dispatch system, instrumentation, cables and installation materials. The control of the process has become far more efficient and easier after a reduction of the existing 12 decentralizied control centers to only five. The whole plant can be operated from the central control room (CCR). Also part of ABB’s assignments were a host of services such as project management, engineering and integration, customer training, installation and commissioning. The 2 x 3’500 tons clinker/day plant is located on the shores of the Arabian Gulf next to the Dammam–Kuwait highway, 135 km from Dammam and 65 km from Al Jubail. For details, visit http://www.abb.com.

NuGenesis SDMS v6.01 Now Released New Features Include Apple Mac OS Support

NuGenesis Technologies Corporation has announced today the release of v6.01 of the NuGenesis Scientific Data
Management System (SDMS). Important new features have been added to its industry-leading platform to enhance support for users of Apple Macintosh running Mac OS X version 10.2.5. Along with the ability to restore raw data files from a Macintosh, report summaries and other "human-readable" data can now be viewed in NuGenesis SDMS. Functionality has also been expanded: data from reports is easily selected and sent to third-party applications via Adobe Acrobat to be used in spreadsheets and documents; eSignature and annotation capability is available to comply with 21 CFR Part 11 requirements; Macintosh applications Microsoft Word X and Excel X, as well as Becton Dickinson CellQuest Pro V5.1 have been tested and validated. The platform technology of NuGenesis SDMS captures all analytical and related lab data, including the printed reports generated by the instruments for scientist review (the actual content of the report, not just an image). Data can be quickly located and viewed through NuGenesis SDMS without the instrument software that created it, facilitating collaboration by research members and managers, anywhere in the enterprise. For details, visit http://www.nugenesis.com.

NuGenesis Technologies and Metrohm Announce Partnership for NuGenesis SDMS

NuGenesis Technologies Corporation, a market leader in scientific data management, and Metrohm, a market leader in ion analysis, have announced that they have established a partnership. Metrohm's TiNet software and Titrando titration system, IC Net ion chromatography software and VA Computrace voltammetric trace analysis systems will be integrated with NuGenesis SDMS. "The increasing demand for long-term data archiving and data management requires the close cooperation between instrument manufacturers and software companies,” says Markus Steinke, Marketing Manager Titration, Metrohm Ltd. “This partnership gives our customers the advantage of integrating their Metrodata software and instruments seamlessly into NuGenesis SDMS. ,The partnership between NuGenesis and Metrohm provides a comprehensive and compliant data management system for these crucial ion analysis applications within the pharmaceutical industry." The NuGenesis SDMS is an application-independent, Web-based platform that uses unique technology to capture and securely store all the raw analytical and report data from existing instruments as well as other software applications. Through sophisticated templates NuGenesis SDMS extracts content from the data as it is captured, creating a database catalog to ensure that the data can be found when needed – quickly and easily. NuGenesis Technologies provides end users, data system vendors and instrument manufacturers with enhanced support to easily capture content from their electronic records. For details, visit http://www.nugenesis.com.

Scientific Software and Agilent Technologies Announce Software Control for the Agilent 3000 Micro GC for EZChrom Elite Chromatography Data System

Scientific Software, Inc. (SSI) and Agilent Technologies Inc. have announced that a new software control option has been released for the Agilent 3000 Micro GC system for use with SSI's EZChrom Elite Chromatography Data System. EZChrom Elite version 3.1 provides automated data acquisition and instrument control for a wide variety of laboratory instruments. Agilent's Micro GCs are a family of portable and transportable gas chromatographs (GCs) designed for high-speed gas analysis. Agilent 3000 Micro GCs use self-contained GC modules, each consisting of an injector, columns, flow control valving, and a thermal conductivity detector.  These are all supported in the EZChrom Elite control software. EZChrom Elite handles all experimental settings, data collection and data analysis.  It includes auto-configuration of the Agilent 3000, support for 1-4 channel models including the portable unit, and support for up to 2 sample inlet ports and 2 carrier gases. Version 3.1 of EZChrom Elite can be deployed in stand-alone, thin client, or client/server computing environments.  Optional software control of more then 200 various HPLC, GC and IC instruments, including those from Agilent, Shimadzu, Hitachi, Varian, Thermo Finnigan and other companies is available. For details, visit http://www.agilent.com or http://www.scisw.com.

NWA Enhances Process Monitoring & Reporting Enterprise & Supply Chain

Northwest Analytical (NWA), a provider of statistical process control (SPC) software, has launched version 2.3 of its NWA Quality Monitor software for SPC charting and automating test station data collection on the manufacturing plant floor and in the laboratory. This latest version of Quality Monitor includes advanced alarming capabilities, flexibility in reading and writing to central databases, the ability to link test stations, and significant user interface enhancements. Version 2.3 gives manufacturing plants and laboratories a single, unified data collection solution for quality assurance/quality control (QA/QC) test stations, either stand-alone or in networked systems. Quality Monitor automates the collection of test station data, standardizes workflow procedures, and provides real-time product quality feedback, including an email-based alarm feature. Combined, these capabilities help companies manage and improve their manufacturing and laboratory processes, improve quality, and reduce costs. For details, visit http://www.nwasoft.com.

Labtronics Releases New Solution for SOP Automation

Labtronics Inc. has announced a new release of the NEXXIS Information Integration System, an Electronic Laboratory Notebook solution that can be deployed throughout the laboratory to securely automate and enforce
all aspects of Standard Operating Procedures. Highlights of the new release include new security features, compatibility with Oracle and SQL server databases, new options that simplify SOP automation, and powerful new features for reporting, including fileless reporting of data to LIMS and other applications. NEXXIS new security components, combined with automation of the SOP, ensure that instrument data is accurately collected, analyzed and reported in an environment that meets regulatory compliance requirements. Compatibility with Oracle and SQL server databases allows NEXXIS to fully integrate with the laboratory's existing database infrastructure. SOP automation is made easier with the addition of new forms templates that can be customized to meet any requirement. For details, visit http://www.labtronics.com.

BioMedion Partners with Labtronics for Instrument Interfacing to BM-windream

BioMedion GmbH has announced a partnership with Labtronics B.V. to provide instrument interfacing solutions for their Document Management System BM-windream. BioMedion clients will use LimsLink and LimsLinkCDS to provide secure data collection directly from instruments and instrument data systems and for reporting that data to BM-windream. Stefan Timmerman, Laboratory Automation Specialist at Labtronics B.V., commented, "We are pleased to welcome BioMedion as our newest partner. Using LimsLink and LimsLinkCDS as their instrument interfacing tool will improve the speed, accuracy and flexibility with which BM-windream users are able to archive their instrument data." Philipp Habermeier, Account & Partner Manager, BioMedion GmbH, commented "BioMedion is pleased to announce the new partnership with Labtronics B.V. With the combination of LimsLink and BM-windream, data acquisition, data management and electronic archival in laboratory and research environments is now possible in one comprehensive and secure system. This new partnership which will bring the benefits of both systems to our customers. For details, visit http://www.biomedion.com or http://www.labtronics.com

Mettler Toledo and Labtronics Connect on LIMS Integration

Mettler-Toledo, Inc. hasannounced a new partnership with Labtronics Inc. to provide users of the popular Mettler Toledo LabX system with a new LabX-to-LIMS integration solution. Using LimsLink, Mettler-Toledo customers
can now configure a secure, fileless interface between their LabX application and their LIMS. First introduced in 1995, LimsLink automates worklist creation, collects data from laboratory instrument data systems such as LabX, reformats that data and reports it to any LIMS or database application. It includes all of the components required to meet regulatory compliance requirements while efficiently managing data flow between laboratory instruments and LIMS. LabX PC titration software is the leading titration solution offering full FDA 21CFR part 11 support. LabX is a scaleable client/server network solution providing strong tools for titrator control and sample data analysis - and soon, with full support for Mettler-Toledo balances and other instruments.For details, visit http://www.mt.com or http://www.labtronics.com.

ARC Advisory Group Releases Acquisition Planning for Software-Intensive Plant Systems Study

Time-to-market (TTM) for a new product is a primary success metric in a broad range of manufacturing industries.  Whether the impetus is to capture more of existing demand, be the first to exploit a new market trend, beat competitors to market, access a new customer base, or simply to generate revenue from a new product idea, the ability to achieve rapid TTM is a key measure of success for manufacturers. Because the complexity and sheer volume of software content in today’s plant floor systems is increasingly impacting new product time-to-market, Best Practices in Acquisition Planning for Software-Intensive Plant Systems, a new Best Practices study from ARC Advisory Group, has been released.  This research was drawn from a survey of manufacturers and their system providers plus activities in government, academia, and industry.  The survey related to the important and pivotal implementation of Best Practices in acquisition planning for software-intensive systems. ARC states that implementing Best Practices in Acquisition Planning will help manufacturers avoid delays in new product startups for software-intensive systems and the associated Time-to-Market.  Attention to the acquisition process, with particular focus on acquisition planning, requirements management, documentation, and auditing and testing will go a long way toward ensuring that changes to plant floor systems for new products meet their original requirements and are on-line in time. For details, visit http://www.arcweb.com/research/auto/bp-swacq.asp.

Study: Market Research Averages $5.5 Million per New Drug

Pharmaceutical companies spend, on average, about $5.5 million for market research on every new drug, according to a study by Cutting Edge Information. The research showed industry is relying heavily on outsourced market research groups, especially as development costs rise and fewer products are entering the pipeline. For details, visit http://www.fdanews.com.