Total Lab Automation: An investment that lasts over time
The benefits of an independent lab automation system with open connectivity, reckoned by an Italian hospital lab along nine years of activity.
In 2010 the directors of the Santa Chiara Hospital (Trento, Italy) decided to consolidate the clinical lab activities in a single space, grouping together several specialties, previously distributed on different floors. The goal was to increase the efficiency of the spaces, keeping into consideration the growing demand for diagnostic tests and budget limitations.
A Total Laboratory Automation (TLA) system, therefore, became the natural hypothesis to evaluate; the department manager, Dr. Patrizio Caciagli, is far-sighted and wanted a solution able to accompany his service in the years to come.
Realizing the rapid evolution of technologies in the IVD sector, I strongly wanted an automation system that would leave us the freedom to adopt the analyzers that from time to time seemed more suitable to our needs and to be able to update them over time, without changing the track
He searched for a modular and expandable automation solution that would not constrain the lab’s workflow but allow a possible future increase of activity by 50%. The focus of the increase would be on the serum area.
Dr. Caciagli considered purchasing an independent track system to ensure the laboratory’s stability. The laboratory has upgraded and changed analyzers and modules around this automation backbone over the years, without causing any delays in the lab service. Additionally, this system has helped increase the laboratory’s efficiency and productivity while remaining adaptable to changes in technology.
This case shows how FlexLab automation has paid off the initial investment, showing its value in evolving according to the needs and volumes of the laboratory.
The laboratory purchased the track as a capital investment, anchoring the lab’s value over time. They grafted on their favorite analyzers and latest-generation technologies, which increased the lab’s negotiating capability with equipment suppliers.
