The evolving government regulations oblige companies to open their books and ensure traceability of raw materials, production steps, and quality control processes. Quality control is a universal mandate across industries, from pharmaceuticals to food production to ensure product safety. Diverse requirements, including microbiological analysis and toxin detection, apply even to seemingly harmless products like children's toys.

In-house laboratories are commonly used by production companies to oversee the quality of their goods. However, the prevailing method of quality management within these labs is manual. It involves using Excel for data input, printing sheets, and compiling data in journals – a process prone to inefficiencies and the risk of errors.

The increasing volume of data prompts companies to explore digital tools for streamlined data handling. The conventional solution to automate quality management entails the adoption of Laboratory Information and Management Systems (LIMS). However, these systems, often comparable to the scale of SAP, require extensive implementation timelines. Moreover, their price tags ranging from 50,000 to 100,000 Euros make them financially burdensome for many laboratories.

Recognizing the need for a more cost-effective and streamlined solution, Philipp Osterwalder, a laboratory technician with a pharmaceutical research and development background, decided to transform quality management.

Diverging from complicated and costly quality management solutions, his concept aimed to offer a new and straightforward approach – a platform that companies can tweak and adjust themselves without any coding to make it fit the unique needs of their laboratories.

Philipp chose to implement this concept with Modeso. His experience, including a profound understanding of laboratory processes in industries requiring rigorous quality control, combined with our technology expertise, proved to be a successful formula for executing this project.

Our team at Modeso got intrigued by the idea. We saw its potential and since we already had experience building similar products, we gladly joined the project. Within six months, we transformed the rough concept into a clickable prototype and showed it to several companies in Switzerland.

Fast forward, the project evolved into a 1LIMS, a comprehensive Laboratory Information Management System – a fully functional platform boasting various modules to cater to the diverse needs of laboratories. It takes only three to six months to get 1LIMS up and running, making it fast, budget-friendly, and adaptable.

We used the Lean approach for developing 1LIMS, moving from market research to prototyping and MVP development, with user testing to inform our decisions.

The concept behind the 1LIMS project was to create a cost-effective SaaS solution easily implemented and configured by customers.

To expedite the development process, we created a clickable prototype that served as a visualization of our concept. This prototype, while not as feature-rich as the eventual MVP, was instrumental in conveying our vision. We showcased it to the interested parties to communicate the problems we aimed to solve.

The core module of the MVP was Sample Management – a functionality segment centered on generating quality control orders, incorporating various sample types, and specifying testing methods. We expanded this module with a dashboard and Master Data, essentially forming a CRM-like interface within 1LIMS. It included the library of tests a company would conduct to control quality. We gave users the possibility to construct checklists, referred to as test plans, based on distinct test units.

Overall the MVP's features included sending quality control orders, specifying required tests, validating results, and generating PDF reports — a practical and efficient solution to streamline laboratory processes.

The evolution of 1LIMS has been shaped by an iterative process of user testing and adjusting our development roadmap based on user feedback.

We actively engaged with customers to understand their needs and test new functionalities to decide on further steps informed by shared insights. This collaborative approach allowed us to enhance the platform, incorporating valuable features and improvements with each iteration.

Currently, the platform encompasses various modules tailored for distinct purposes:

During product development, we've consistently integrated new features into 1LIMS while maintaining a steadfast technology stack. We use Node.js on the backend and Angular on the front end. The architectural backbone of the application is built on microservices, providing flexibility as standalone modules or in combination.

One key aspect of product development involved integrating with common ERP systems to automate the setup of master data, such as product information. This integration ensures a seamless workflow. For example, when a company places an order for a new raw material in SAP, it triggers a quality control order in 1LIMS to inspect the incoming material upon arrival, maintaining stringent quality parameters.

Similarly, during internal production orders within SAP, 1LIMS automatically generates quality control orders, ensuring that each production step adheres to pre-defined quality parameters.

We added an Exchange Module that facilitates import/export of data and integrated the platform with ERP systems like SAP, service labs, and laboratory devices such as High-Pressure Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) and pH meters to eliminate manual data transfer, creating a seamless flow.

This automated process guarantees full traceability of materials in real-time, providing our customers with a robust and efficient solution for quality management.

After about six years of continuous development efforts, 1LIMS is a valuable solution for manufacturing companies. It enhances efficiency, reduces costs, and maximizes the analytical capabilities of their laboratories.

On average, the implementation of 1LIMS reduces the time spent on manual data management by 30% to 40%, freeing up approximately one employee per laboratory team. With reduced manual data management, employees can allocate 25% more time to analysis, empowering them to focus on value-added tasks.

Modeso is on its way to fulfilling our client’s vision of establishing 1LIMS as the global leader in quality data management. Our goal is to offer a centralized hub, facilitating businesses across diverse industries to seamlessly collect and manage their quality data. We’re currently working on the new functionality for the platform to realize this vision.

The upcoming features in 1LIMS include an invoicing module for service labs, a document management system, and LabPilot – a laboratory assistant similar to Copilot, that uses AI to connect data sources and make recommendations based on historical data. In this way, risk-based tests can be carried out in the laboratory, reducing analysis costs and effort in the long term.

Another exciting project in the works is a module designed to optimize the production ‘recipes.’ By leveraging key factors, such as raw materials, costs, and quality parameters, 1LIMS customers can customize how they build their products, reducing waste and enhancing overall efficiency.

Modeso’s team remains dedicated to enhancing the 1LIMS platform’s capabilities and efficiency for our customers.