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Case Study: OpenLAB Enterprise Content Manager cuts data processing time in half and increases productivity

By Linda Doherty
Agilent Marketing Operations Manager

Figure 1. Eurofins Scientific is the world leader in food and pharmaceutical products testing.

Eurofins Analytico is a Netherlands-based laboratory that tests soil and water for major engineering companies and public bodies. The laboratory currently employs over 200 people and processes about 1,500 samples a day.

In the past, this lab used about 23 different software packages from different vendors and printed out every analysis, creating a very time consuming and paper-intensive process. Analysts would take the printouts to their office where they would be evaluated, and determine whether to repeat any tests that were not conforming. It became clear that a better process for efficient data management was needed.

After evaluating several vendors, Eurofins Analytico chose Agilent, already a trusted supplier for many of the lab’s instruments. The company has now implemented Agilent OpenLAB Enterprise Content Manager (ECM) as their scientific data management system (SDMS), as well as other Agilent software. OpenLAB ECM can manage and organize all electronic content, regardless of source. This includes analytical data, analytical instrument results, photographs and images, PDF files and forms, scanned paper files, emails, Microsoft Office® files, and electronic reports.

Implementing OpenLAB ECM has addressed several challenges that the lab faced, including conserving paper and reducing data processing costs. ECM’s audit trail and versioning features have also helped increase the transparency of manual integration and record changes, thereby improving traceability.

Integrating the ChemStation Edition of Agilent’s OpenLAB chromatography data system (CDS) with OpenLAB ECM enables the lab to access common ECM functionality directly from the CDS user interface. It also allows analysts to load and save methods, sequences, and data directly from the ECM – accessing files stored within the ECM without leaving the chromatography data system. Additionally, access to all ECM search functionality is available inside OpenLAB CDS ChemStation Edition. ECM’s search functionality benefits Eurofins’ customers because they can now get their soil and water test results back more quickly and make faster progress on important engineering projects.

“Agilent’s solution enabled us to introduce an even shorter delivery time, a reduction of 20% from the previous, shortest turnaround time. This benefits our clients who work on remediation projects where contractors are waiting for our results before they can start work,” noted Arjan Veldhuizen, technical manager at Eurofins Analytico.

For more information about Eurofins' application of Agilent solutions, please read the full case study.

Agilent’s industry-leading software solutions cover a broad range of analytical workstations, workflows, and applications that meet the needs of lab managers across many sciences and industries. These software solutions accommodate the full lifecycle of scientific data – from data acquisition to analysis to reporting.

Through Agilent’s OpenLAB portfolio, lab managers have access to an open-system architecture that can help to create, capture, and share information more efficiently, while increasing security and overall productivity. See our product pages for more information on OpenLAB CDS ChemStation Edition and OpenLAB ECM data management solution.

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