Element DataSystem LIMS improves efficiency
of environmental laboratory.

Challenge

E. S. Babcock & Sons Laboratories (ESB) was looking to maintain the laboratory's reputation for producing the highest quality results and staying current with the latest technologies and regulations, while growing the business.
 

Solution

ESB implemented the flexible Element DataSystem LIMS from Promium in order to improve reporting and provide a more automated platform to increase efficiency and strengthen the quality control infrastructure.

Building on 100 Years of Quality Results.

In over 100 years of providing analytical services, ESB has earned a reputation of delivering the highest quality results. Located in the Inland Empire region in Riverside, California, ESB produces analysis of drinking water, wastewater, groundwater, storm water, soils, and hazardous materials. The lab serves a broad range of clients including large corporate accounts and individual property owners. Babcock is an independent environmental testing facility that prides itself on using state-of-the-art equipment in their 21,000 square foot facility in order to stay current with technology and regulatory requirements.

Like many labs, ESB faced the challenge of growing the business while maintaining a high level of quality control and facing an increasingly complex regulatory atmosphere. It became quickly apparent that the lab needed to upgrade their information management system and find ways to streamline laboratory operations.

Improving Access to Information.

ESB installed Element DataSystem, and the LIMS system has become an integral part of their operation ever since. The transition itself did not take long, requiring about two days of onsite training from Promium staff members and around one month to transfer existing information and lab systems over to Element. Today, over 40 of Babcock's employees use the system—making up two thirds of the company's staff.

Babcock now has greater user-flexibility, including the ability to query data, manage statistics and perform QA operations with a single program. The lab has also benefited from the custom reporting capabilities within Element. With a large library of available formats, Element allows lab employees to tailor each report to meet specific customer needs. Information from Element is easily applied to other applications, to meet the needs of clients who are working with predetermined electronic data deliverables (EDDs). "There's a flexibility for us to transfer the data out of Element and into formats designed for the client," Mackenzie noted.

ESB clients have experienced benefits from Element as well. Because Project Managers have greater access to more current data, it can be made available to clients as it is produced, via the web access component of Element. This allows the lab's clients to see reviewed data and view updates as they occur.

Incresing Efficiency Throughout the Lab

Using Element, the ESB sales team is able to quickly create bids that follow their unique pricing structure. The operations division is able to process and track samples more accurately and efficiently, improving accuracy and productivity.

ESB has also made significant improvements to QA procedures with Element. With internal control charts and the ability to create a fluid sequence of queries that capture the needed standards and information for each testing batch, Element has made it much easier to incorporate ESB's QA processes and meet regulatory needs.

ESB has also found Element very useful from a project management standpoint. According to Mackenzie, the ability to look at historical data in Element, coupled with the custom operations and quality reporting, provides project managers with greater planning and oversight.

Allison Mackenzie, ESB CEO, says that "Element is now key to the lab's operation and Element has had a positive effect on almost every aspect of the company's business."