“I sometimes had to wade through 10 different Excel tabs to assemble the data required”, explains a laboratory team leader looking back at how she generated reports before using a LIMS. As painful as this may sound, there are still many manufacturers who rely on Excel to collect and extract data and perform their analyses. The more time spent on operational activities, the fewer opportunities to focus on improvement.
On the other hand, with laboratory quality control software, you have all data in a well-structured system with built-in reporting and analytics tools that will boost efficiency and free up to 20% of your time. And, if boosting efficiency is not a good enough reason to choose a LIMS for your manufacturing company, the seven advantages highlighted in this article will surely change your mind.
A Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS) helps manufacturing companies by automating the entire process between sampling and reporting. This includes tracking samples, managing data, assigning tasks, non-conformity analysis, reporting, trend analysis, and passing test results to other systems, like for instance an ERP.
What does this mean for lab technicians? It means that they can forget about clicking through Excel tabs to dig up information while feeling time-starved performing their daily routine. A LIMS that’s optimized for manufacturing will pull up real-time data, give users full control, and make processes completely transparent. Connecting the laboratory to production will mean a lot in terms of efficiency.
Easy reporting is one of the most common reasons why manufacturers choose this clever alternative to Excel. But functionalities and advantages go far beyond reporting. Implementing a LIMS, manufacturing companies also enjoy these main benefits:
Remember the laboratory team leader at the beginning of this article? She needed to wade through Excel tabs to perform all checks and analyses. That was before the team at Royal VIV Buisman, a leading manufacturer in the food sector stumbled upon the clever LIMS software from AlisQI.
Appreciating AlisQI’s focus on manufacturing as well as the fact that it was designed to fit companies of all sizes, the food manufacturer decided to implement the system and streamline their quality control. Marcel De Buijzer, Production Director at Royal VIV Buisman talks about some of the changes they’ve noticed since.
“The products have not improved through AlisQI”, says De Buijzer, “but the processes certainly have. If a raw material or end product falls outside the specifications, the system automatically gives you an alert. You react faster and sharper, and nothing can be overlooked”.
When looking for a LIMS to boost efficiency in their lab, De Buijzer explains that they wanted a system that safeguards quality and processes while keeping things manageable. In contrast to the times when they relied on Excel, “we have all the control charts, analyses results, or statistics at the press of a single button. And not just for ourselves, we can now also generate reports on the delivered quality for our clients and suppliers much faster. We have increasingly accurate information regarding the precise steering of the processes.”
Next to saving time and boosting overall quality, De Buijzer mentions some additional benefits. As a cloud-based quality management system, AlisQI can be used in multiple locations “The results of checks on the line are immediately visible and usable in the lab or in the sales office. All information is linked and is available to everyone”.
A pragmatic manufacturer, who decided against a traditional LIMS because it was too extensive, Royal VIV Buisman was also happy with the savings on costs “For roughly one-tenth of the price of a traditional LIMS, the entire implementation process was completed.”
As highlighted above, a Laboratory Information Management System can be beneficial for many reasons. The AlisQI LIMS for manufacturing can boost efficiency in your laboratory and saves you the burden of manual work. And, if you’re still worried about costs, implementing a LIMS is an investment. But isn’t investing in quality one of the best investments that you can make?
This whitepaper discusses KPIs and best practices for Quality Control, Quality Assurance, and QESH