LIMS as the Control Center for Digitalization

(Image source: © CUP Laboratorien Dr. Freitag GmbH)

With its LABbase Laboratory Information and Management System (LIMS) from Blomesystem, CUP Laboratories not only have a solution for laboratory management. It now serves as a central hub for the digitalization efforts that the company is consistently driving forward.

The Opportunity

Since 2012, the LABbase LIMS has ensured that most paper-based processes and Excel spreadsheets used for workflow management are a thing of the past at CUP Laboratories in Radeberg, Saxony. As the company aims to digitize today what customers will demand tomorrow, CUP is also increasingly expanding the solution toward a comprehensive ERP system (ERP, Enterprise Resource Planning). In this way, the company exports data from the LIMS, aggregates it in a data warehouse, and from there, the data flows into other systems where it can be presented as key performance indicators. Among other things, this enables the company to make quick and reliable calculations when, for example, prices for raw materials or energy change within a short period of time. In addition, LABbase serves as a central control hub for the company’s digital transformation, automating an increasing number of tasks and connecting to external systems via interfaces.

IT – reimagined

Over the past few years, CUP Laboratories has systematically expanded LABbase in collaboration with Blomesystem, a subsidiary of the GUS Group. In addition to traditional laboratory management, the solution now handles numerous other tasks. These primarily include core inventory management functions and the implementation of regulatory requirements, such as the regular updating of standard operating procedures. Added to this is the management of employee training and the associated access management for the various testing tasks at CUP. The same applies to the integrated equipment management, as most devices must be requalified at regular intervals to maintain their certification. CUP also uses additional systems centered around LABbase as its central integration platform: an accounting system is connected via an interface, as well as a provider of electronic signatures for the test reports. There are also plans to integrate the existing project management system, which is open-source software.

Ready for the Future

With LABbase, CUP Laboratories Dr. Freitag benefit primarily from the following advantages:

• The LIMS in use goes beyond traditional laboratory management and is evolving into a full-fledged ERP system
• LIMS also integrates functions for production planning, materials management, quality assurance, training management, equipment management, certificate generation, and the addressing and mailing of test reports
• Improving the quality of business processes through standardization
• The document workflow has been digitized, and status checks can be performed with the click of a button
• Data from the LIMS, as the central platform, is made available to other systems in the form of key metrics
• Thanks to the "Blome Designer," CUP employees can customize workflows in LABbase without any programming knowledge
• Scalability of the solution to meet future requirements
• Digitization with LABbase supports the CUP Laboratories' commitment to excellence by providing the necessary metrics and information.