Case

Test system built for global scalability

What happens when a test system can’t keep up with an increasingly globalized business?

Here is how we helped a leading manufacturer of blood gas analyzers transition smoothly to a new system built for global growth.

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The challenge

It is essential for patient safety that medical equipment functions correctly in critical situations. That's why manufacturers rely on complex test systems to control product quality. And as for any other system, it's crucial that these test systems can grow and adapt with the business.

In this case, the customer’s existing system was developed in-house over a period of 20 years.

Customized to their exact needs, it did an excellent job in supporting their daily work. However, it was also inherently difficult to scale and globalize.

The CIM solution

Growth ready with improved process control and insights

Test data management

Reports and statistics on yield and SPC data. Paperless repair (PLR) provides statistics and real-time information on failed test steps, enabling immediate repairs. Unit relations keep track on which modules belong to which device.

Equipment control

The system specifies instruments and checks service and calibration status before test. Traceability on instruments and their use enables recalls in case of equipment failures discovered later.

Audit trail and user management

Drawing user rights from Active Directory, the solution can manage users and log actions.

Project overview

Customized TestStand framework with business logic
CIM test solution based on standard products, UI in Danish, English and Chinese
Importers for various data types: Parts lists, test and instrumentation data, calibration data and test data from existing system
Solution servers hosted in MS Azure
Assistance with test plans and validation
Training of test engineers

Want to know more?

Explore the case in more detail here

Why the existing system made global scalability a challenge

The customer’s existing system was developed in-house over a period of 20 years. Customized to their exact needs, it did an excellent job in supporting their daily work. However, it was also inherently difficult to scale and globalize.

But that was not the only issue. With only one person in-house with the skills to support the old system they wanted to reduce risk and use their resources better in the future.

So, when faced with the task of implementing a test system in China, it was time to move an upgrade of the framework from the project pipeline to priority no. 1.

Why the customer chose CIM for the project

The customer knew CIM well from previous projects, so it was natural to turn to us when looking for a development partner for the new test framework.

Two factors were decisive in awarding the project to CIM:

Our track record and experience with the demands of the pharmaceutical industry and the fact that we were able to deliver all the needed applications.

How we created a connected, parallel ecosystem to ease the transition

Switching to an entirely new system is not done overnight. Therefore, it was crucial that the new system could run in parallel with the old one and capture data from both systems and surrounding applications.

The solution was to design a modular ecosystem with a TestStand framework and CIM solution for handling test data management, audit trail, user management and equipment control.

The CIM solution imports historic data from the existing system plus data from the tests carried out in the old system during the transition period, so that everything is available in one place.

With +100 tests to convert to the new system, a smooth process was important. Therefore, the customer can choose to do the bare minimum to begin with and adjust later.

The customer's thoughts on the "make or buy" conundrum

There was never any doubt in the customer’s mind that they needed a partner for developing the new test framework.

The development of a test framework requires a very specific skillset and a lot of work for a limited period, so it was simply a matter of being mindful about time and resources.

“Once the system is up and running, there is not enough work for a full-time development resource. And outsourcing development means that we can focus on test sequences instead.”

Of course, opting for standardized products meant that some compromises had to be made. But, the customer says, these are outweighed by the benefit of having a partner, whose core expertise is to develop test systems and who stays on top of technological developments.

Our test experts are ready to help

Dennis Morini, Business Development Manager

dmo@cim.as