About
People
Colin Pashia Metallurgical and Materials Engineering Lead
Overall Goal
Accurate data capture and workflow automation
Approach
Investing in a structured but flexible lab data management solution from Labguru
Results
- Labguru’s workflow automation has enhanced collaborative working and improved efficiency.
- Data gathered on laboratory and equipment usage has led to better management of resources and improved productivity.
Colin Pashia
Metallurgical and Materials Engineering Lead
Dodge Industrial, Inc. is a leading designer, manufacturer, and marketer of industrial power transmission equipment with a history spanning more than 140 years. Dodge provides mechanical power transmission products for a wide range of industries and markets across the globe and has several research and development laboratories across two sites that design and test existing and new products.
Following its acquisition by RBC Bearings, Dodge Industrial could no longer use its legacy in-house solution. While the legacy tool had served them well, it could not keep pace with their growing requirements as an innovative research and development company. So, Dodge Industrial took the opportunity to find a system that could help it advance and optimize its laboratory data management. We interviewed Metallurgical and Materials Engineering Lead Colin Pashia, to learn how Labguru has transformed Dodge’s laboratory operations.
Challenges
Colin explains that, previously, data was stored on an Excel-based website that had limited capabilities. “It had served us well up to this point, but we wanted to be able to do more and to work smarter. The acquisition gave us the impetus to find a new system.”
Dodge Industrial had several requirements. It wanted a laboratory management system to capture and share data, to enhance collaborative working while also facilitating workflow approvals, automate processes, and it wanted to be able to manage and analyze laboratory usage and capacity. Crucially, it also wanted a system that could grow and advance with the company, ensuring that any new system was future-proof and could support innovative ways of working.
Following extensive research of the laboratory management systems on the market, Dodge Industrial identified several systems to test. They assessed each in terms of functionality and cost before deciding that Labguru best met its needs. “Labguru simply performed better than the other systems we looked at. We specifically wanted a system with good workflow capabilities that could support our ways of working. We didn’t want to have to adapt to suit the software, we wanted the software to work for us. Also, the user-friendly interface was a big draw. We needed a system that would be easy for our staff to use so that they would want to use it. In the end, it was an easy decision to go with Labguru and we haven’t been disappointed.”
“Labguru simply performed better than the other systems we looked at. We specifically wanted a system with good workflow capabilities that could support our ways of working... It was an easy decision to go with Labguru and we haven’t been disappointed"
Implementation support
Dodge Industrial worked with the Labguru implementation team to map the specific workflows and permissions required to meet their needs. “We had a basic idea of what we wanted Labguru to do, but we didn’t appreciate the extent of Labguru’s functionality and what it could do for us, particularly around automation. The Labguru implementation team has been very patient in explaining what benefits Labguru can bring and how to add value to our existing work processes.
“This support has been ongoing, beyond our initial implementation, with the Labguru team responding to any requests within 12 hours which is fantastic. As we started using the Electronic Laboratory Notebook (ELN), we discovered some loopholes in our workflows that needed changing. The Labguru support team was able to quickly carry out updates to support this. They are always very responsive.”
Single source of data
Now that Dodge Industrial has implemented Labguru, it has a single source of data. This has eliminated risks associated with duplication, as well as providing increased transparency and improved productivity.
“Having a single repository for all our lab work is beneficial for everybody. Historically it has been cumbersome to find data outside of your immediate department. This could mean delays in responses to colleagues and customers. With a single data repository, all users can find the data they need more quickly.”
Automation and workflow approvals
A significant benefit that Dodge Industrial has been able to leverage, is increased efficiency and improved productivity as a result of the automation that has been built into the work processes within Labguru. “The automation is fantastic,” Colin exclaims. “Certain actions will automatically trigger an alert to another member of staff. It means that we don’t have to waste time chasing people to do something or to approve work. It saves a lot of time and makes the whole process go much more smoothly. This eliminates frustrations and makes everyone happier.”
ROI from Labguru
The return on investment for Dodge Industrial has been significant and Colin believes this is only going to grow as they seek to utilize further functionality. He explains, “A significant benefit for us is the intelligence Labguru provides us about how our staff are using our laboratories and specific equipment. We now have much greater oversight of where the peaks and troughs come from in terms of this usage. Being able to understand this has extreme value for us as it helps us plan and provides the business case for investing in new equipment.”
Yet it is the automated workflows that are bringing the biggest day-to-day benefits for Colin and the wider Dodge Industrial team. “There is much less downtime while we are waiting for data to be reviewed or for signatures or approvals because the team member is instantly notified about what needs to be done. It removes a layer of administration and makes us much more efficient and productive. It’s fantastic.”
Key results:
- Increased efficiency and productivity due to automated workflows and approvals
- Better resource planning due to data gathered on laboratory and equipment usage
Future benefits from Labguru
Looking to the future, Dodge Industrial is exploring Labguru’s inventory and storage modules to further enhance the benefits for the company. “Labguru comes with vast functionality as standard and so there is a lot that we aren’t currently using but that could further benefit us. For example, we know we want to investigate the inventory and storage modules, as we can already see that this could benefit us. But there are other areas we want to explore as well, such as how it can integrate with our equipment and support calibration.”