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.
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 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.
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.
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.
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.
Dennis Morini, Business Development Manager