By Stefano Marocco, Account Manager and Elian Winstanley, Managing Director at STARLIMS, UK

New technical developments are revolutionizing LIMS. The advent of web-enabled systems has provided a paradigm shift in technology, enabling LIMS access from almost anywhere. Extensible Markup Language (XML) is a simple, very flexible text format that was originally designed to meet the challenges of large-scale electronic publishing. It is rapidly becoming the common data language, playing an increasingly important role in the exchange of a wide variety of data on the web and elsewhere.

When coupled with web services (web based enterprise applications that use open, XML-based standards and transport protocols to exchange data with calling clients), the power of XML becomes fully evident. No longer is it necessary to create expensive custom interfaces to enable communication between disparate business systems. Using web services, one system can use the exposed functionality of another as if it were its own. For instance, when a new batch of raw material arrives, the details are entered into a manufacturing resource planning (MRP) system and the lot placed in quarantine awaiting laboratory analysis.

The MRP system can call a 'sample login' service published by the LIMS and provide a data transfer object (DTO) that includes the relevant information about the sample that should be logged. The web service performs the relevant sample registration transactions on the LIMS, hiding their complexity from the calling application. Once the sample has been processed in the laboratory and shown to meet specification, the LIMS can invoke a web service published by the MRP system that will update the lot status, releasing the raw material for use.

Web services can also be used to create an efficient and secure relationship with remote customers, suppliers or data clients, allowing them to request sample analysis, view testing status and print certificates of analysis, invoices or other reports via a browser based interface. This means that clients can access an organization's LIMS securely without having to download and install special software.

A collaborative LIMS can provide vital information throughout the manufacturing cycle. Providing quality data determined by inspection of raw materials can provide the needed information to tune the production process to yield acceptable final products. An integrated production and laboratory solution can alert purchasing to procure additional raw material if a lot fails incoming inspection. Shipments can be quickly released after final quality control checks. Should a non-compliant lot be inadvertently shipped, fast, efficient flow of information will ensure a recall can be quickly implemented.

Without traceability records, it would be nearly impossible to accomplish product recalls in a timely manner. Additionally, implementation of a LIMS-informed logistics and scheduling system at various stages of production can better manage the delivery of products by taking appropriate action to accommodate unplanned production issues.

Traditionally, laboratories have operated autonomously and are among the last domains to be fully integrated into the overall organization. LIMS applications typically focused on organizing laboratory data, tracking samples and providing results, often only in the form of a pass or fail for the lot. Increasingly sophisticated manufacturing processes in industries such as chemical, food and beverage, and pharmaceutical are dramatically increasing the number of laboratory analyses required.

Increased product quality and increasing regulatory compliance issues means that laboratory data must be readily accessible to both people and systems across the enterprise. Manufacturers are now discovering that quick access to laboratory data is just as valuable to operations as it is to achieving regulatory compliance. They are also beginning to realize that LIMS data is as important as other sources of real-time data in the manufacturing process, and that the data must be integrated with other business and process control systems to enable real-time performance management (RPM) initiatives. The recent developments within LIMS have meant that collaborative LIMS solutions have 'come of age', and result in productivity gains and reduced costs across the organization, leveraging operation excellence.

For further information visit www.starlims.com