One of our older success stories is about integration between Plant Operation and Quality Control in an atline- lab using the specific values of both departments.
Before we started and thus before integration took place the situation was as follows. Planning and performing analysis as well as the correct processing of results was time – consuming and led to confusion. That’s why lab analysts were heavily involved in the 24×7 operations with a high risk of stand stills overnight. In the image above, one of the six analysis methods is shown.
After the integration, we achieved a number of important changes to be mentioned as follows: the schedule of samples, progression of analysis and automatic result handling were visible on a large panel. Another important change after integration was the fact that manual typing was replaced by barcode scanning. This new method was created so that personal protection gear, in this case gloves, did not hinder the QC Analysis.
In the above image a simple draft screen is shown, listing the samples for each analysis methode on the atline- lab. Each method of analysis can have a waiting queue, an active position and a previous position, indicating the last known result.
The integration meant that lab analysts were not longer involved in the routine operations and could focus on real QC operations such as better calibration, reagent preparation and equipment lifecycle planning by analysts.
Conclusion
We can conclude that the integration meant better performance and higher quality in both departments. This is due to the seperation of tasks. In the meantime, we can also conclude that the integration of data has led to better cooperation and understanding between the two departments.