To make the transition to Pharma 4.0, the biomedical laboratory Stago has partnered with Elcimaï Business Solutions
As the French leader in hemostasis research, the Stago Group turned to Elcimaï Business Solutions to automate its data reporting for billing purposes and to digitize its production. A major step toward Pharma 4.0.
STAGO, A FUTURE FRENCH LEADER IN PHARMA 4.0
Founded in 1945, the Stago Group has grown in collaboration with the scientific community and established itself in the biomedical In Vitro Diagnostics (IVD) industry. Today, it is the French leader in hemostasis and thrombosis research.
70 % of laboratories accredited in hemostasis in France are equipped with Stago analyzers. The Group provides high-throughput systems with the option to connect to robotic workstations, a diverse range of automated analyzers tailored to the needs of community and/or emergency laboratories based on their testing volume, a very wide range of reagents for diagnosing and monitoring hemostasis disorders, and advanced research tools to open new avenues of exploration.
Long-standing partnership
For over 10 years, Elcimaï Business Solutions has supported the Stago Group in its digital transformation. This collaboration began following a request for proposals to develop a custom application. Because Elcimaï Business Solutions is a recognized expert in the Infor M3 ERP and .NET development fields, Stago entrusted the company with the development of this web-based solution, called ARGOS, designed to track instrument usage and tests at its clients’ sites for billing purposes.
“Previously, we billed based on user reports,” explains Emilie Bertin, Back Office Applications Manager at Stago. “Everything relied on their good faith, which could lead to errors. The new version of ARGOS saves time, boosts productivity and reliability, and provides our clients with an additional service.”
Connected to the automated systems used by several hundred of Stago’s laboratory and hospital clients across Europe (10 countries, including France), the ARGOS web application is strategic. It is regularly updated and is currently being rolled out in the United States.
Satisfied with this initial experience, the laboratory also commissioned Elcimaï Business Solutions to update its DEMETER web-based production tracking application, making it more efficient and improving user ergonomics. “We chose Elcimaï because of our relationship of trust and because we were confident we would receive the level of service needed to successfully navigate this transition. We had no doubts about their technical and functional expertise,” explains Emilie Bertin.
Toward Pharma 4.0
The DEMETER web application is a small MES that “harvests” results. It enables the tracking of production, machines, and batches, and analyzes performance. It does not participate in the control of the Stago automated systems made available to laboratories and hospitals, but tracks the production of their consumables (small cuvettes embedded in a strip, which is itself wound onto a reel).
“We can now identify defective spools and cuvette batches thanks to a scalable, efficient, modern, and secure application that boosts our performance,” confirms Bruno Dolimier, MES APS LIMS Application Manager at Stago.
While the pharmaceutical industry, being highly regulated and subject to external audits, is moving at its own pace toward the factory of the future, Stago is already well on its way to Pharma 4.0.