Managing a laboratory involves challenges in maintaining equipment, ensuring quality, and meeting regulatory compliance. Many lab managers are unaware of the full range of services offered by external providers, which can ease their workload and improve operations. Here’s a rundown of the range of metrology service options available to you, as well as the benefits of leveraging them:
The importance of metrology services
Outsourcing calibration and metrology services ensures that lab equipment and instruments are operational, maintained, and meet pre-determined process tolerances without distracting your staff from their high-value scientific work. Hiring service vendors to handle calibration, preventive maintenance, and other aspects of lab operations also minimizes downtime and provides you with access to expert support as needed.
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Key metrology services offered
Calibration services: Calibration services are essential when traceable and reliable measurements are needed. These services cover various parameters such as temperature, dimensional, solution-based instruments (i.e., pH, conductivity), pressure, humidity, and CO2. Calibration services must be traceable to National Institute of Standards Technology, known physical or intrinsic standards, or equivalent international standards. Traceability provides a degree of measurement certainty or uncertainty, which helps maintain data integrity and minimizes measurement errors through calibration.
Preventive maintenance and repair: Preventive, predictive, and reliability maintenance services are crucial for minimizing unexpected equipment failures. They include regular checkups, operational data monitoring, replacement of worn parts, and detailed service reports, all of which help ensure that equipment runs smoothly and efficiently. This proactive approach extends the lifespan of equipment and reduces downtime. On the occasion repair services are needed, external providers have the expertise to quickly resolve issues and return equipment to full operation.
Validation and compliance services: External service providers are available to perform validation, commissioning, qualification, and compliance services that encompass early upstream to downstream activities in the life cycle of equipment and instruments. Expertise writing user requirement specifications, validating master plan, executing installation and operational qualifications, performing commissioning/decommissioning, or even temperature mapping are some examples of validation and compliance services. These services are vital for meeting regulatory compliance and international standards such as Good Manufacturing Practice, Good Laboratory Practice, and ISO standards. By ensuring that laboratories maintain high standards, operational excellence, and quality products, these services help labs stay compliant.
Preventive, predictive, and reliability maintenance services are crucial for minimizing unexpected equipment failures.
Asset management and equipment rentals: Asset management services efficiently track the laboratory assets and maintain the service allocations for those assets. Use of internal or external providers is managed by these systems. Asset management programs can be used for optimizing asset utilization, optimizing services, reducing downtime, and extending operational lifespan of assets. Rental programs provide opportunities for short-term needs without capital expense of test and measurement equipment. This provides laboratories with the necessary tools and test equipment without long-term commitments.
Equipment installation and relocation: Equipment installation and relocation services provide end-to-end solutions for setting up new equipment or relocating existing ones. These services are often coupled with commissioning/decommissioning, calibration and validation activities. External service providers can perform a wide variety of services in a defined period of time without the long-term employee or equipment costs. These services ensure smooth transitions with minimal operational interruptions, allowing laboratories to maintain productivity during relocation, expansion, and changes.
Training and support: Training and support services offer tailored training programs and technical support to equip teams with the knowledge and skills to operate and maintain equipment effectively. Proficiency testing, inter-lab, and intra-lab comparisons are also good ways to develop personnel capabilities. Ongoing education and proficiency testing ensures consistent performance and reduces workflow disruptions, contributing to the overall efficiency of laboratory operations.
Benefits of partnering with a service provider
Expertise and authority: Partnering with a service provider gives you access to professionals with deep knowledge and experience in the field. Their expertise ensures that your lab operations are handled with the highest level of competence.
Cost effectiveness: Tailored service contracts, along with preventive, predictive, and reliability maintenance programs, help cut long-term costs and reduce equipment downtime. By addressing potential issues before they become major problems, you can save on expensive repairs and replacements.
Partnering with a service provider gives you access to professionals with deep knowledge and experience in the field.
Operational efficiency: Service providers implement efficient processes that minimize downtime and boost productivity. This ensures that your lab runs smoothly and efficiently, allowing you to focus on your core activities. Continuous improvement of processes and operations are recommended by quality-driven service providers.
Compliance and confidence: Working with a quality service provider gives you the assurance that your laboratory meets predetermined regulatory compliance and quality standards. This compliance not only enhances your lab’s credibility and results, but also ensures that you are always prepared for audits and inspections.
Leveraging a wide range of calibration and metrology services can dramatically improve lab efficiency and reliability. By outsourcing various services, lab managers can focus on their core competency tasks, knowing that service providers have specific expertise while all equipment remains in top condition, compliant, and ready to meet modern scientific demands.
