New LIMS to help manage UK water supplier’s test results

SES Water, a water provider that provides nearly 300,000 homes and businesses with water in the UK, has chosen the Matrix Gemini LIMS (Laboratory Information Management System) from Autoscribe Informatics to manage water testing results in its UKAS-accredited laboratory. SES Water is a water-only company and supplies residents in East Surrey, parts of West Sussex, West Kent and South London in the UK. The laboratory annually performs approximately 120,000 tests on around 13,000 samples taken from every point in the supply chain, including water sources, treatment works, storage reservoirs and randomly selected customer premises.

For this application, the Matrix Gemini starter system for water laboratories has been supplemented with chemical inventory management, competency tracking, bulk sample registration capabilities and ICMS (Instrument Calibration and Maintenance System). The built-in Matrix configuration tools will allow the system to be configured to meet the precise needs of SES Water. Not only will Matrix Gemini be directly connected to several laboratory instruments but it will also be linked to an industry-standard 3rd party software which manages the planning and scheduling of water sample collections and produces output for sample pre-registration.
 
SES Water’s Quality & Compliance Director Nicola Houlahan said: “As a company we are always looking at how we can improve the way we work, especially with the volume of sampling we need to undertake to ensure our water continues to fully comply with the regulatory standards in place. The new Matrix Gemini LIMS will bring significant benefits for our laboratory and sampling teams - working directly on tablets reduces our reliance on paper processes and access to digital calibration and training records will make us more effective too. We’re looking forward to fully launching the new solution next year and all the new features it will bring.”
 
“We are delighted that SES Water has chosen Matrix Gemini to meet their LIMS needs,” said Steve Boother, Managing Director at Autoscribe Informatics. “This system will provide a high level of automation in data handling from sample collection through to reporting analytical test results. Monitoring and managing staff competencies and proactively scheduling the calibration and maintenance of every piece of laboratory equipment in a timely manner allows highly efficient use of laboratory resources. In addition, direct linking of laboratory equipment into Matrix will both streamline workflows and eliminate test result transcription errors.”
 
As part of the overall solution, staff from SES Water will be trained on the administration and configuration of the system. This will enable them to make further changes to the system themselves as their needs evolve