Benefits of a LIMS implementer’s firsthand laboratory knowledge

Posted on : September 13, 2016

By Robert Benz, Sales & Marketing Director, Khemia Software Inc.

No LIMS, no matter how great it may be, is one hundred percent beneficial without proper implementation and training. Modern day LIMS are too complex with too many functions to truly just figure out on your own. However, many times, a LIMS implementation has failed simply because the implementer understood the computer system but fail to comprehend the laboratory itself or vice versa.

For LIMS companies, one of the hardest positions to fill is that of a good implementer. It is no easy task. For starters, a good implementer must have a full understanding of the LIMS and its functionality. The trick is in finding a person who has done this for a while, yet at the same time, fully understanding the laboratory’s needs. To pretend a programmer knows chemistry methodology would be the same as pretending that a chemist is the best programmer; very rarely the case. And, to truly understand a laboratory from start to finish, one must spend some number of years working within laboratory environment. There is no substitute and no book that you can read to replace firsthand laboratory experience. I myself spent years in the laboratory and can vouch for this. The laboratory staff always quickly learns if the implementer has had true laboratory experience or not.

Implementation and training are the key steps to successfully using the right LIMS once selected. Having an implementer who has sincerely been in your shoes with a new LIMS, who understands the analytical methods you are running, who understands the quality control and validation methods you are using and who has been through the audits which you will be undergoing is something you cannot replace. At Khemia Software, we have been especially lucky. Our lead implementer of over nine years now had over 14 years’ experience in the laboratory ranging from a bench chemist to running GCMS to QA/QC to being in charge of audits and accreditations. As is the case in many areas of life, there truly is no better background than true experience.

For more information contact:
Robert Benz, rbenz@khemia.com, 843-810-2075
www.khemia.com