After one month’s testing operation, the quality information management system based on SIMATIC IT Unilab formally starts in Quality Control departments and Analysis Centers in Mengniu Helinger Production Base. The main instrument, FOSS FT120 is directly connected to Unilab to deliver more acurate and realtime testing results. The advanced reporting tool replaces original paper work, and lab management personnels start to benefit from easy data access and continuous quality improvement.
Business challenge
It is well-known that Mengniu Dairy Group creates a miracle of rapid development. Traditional documents and paperwork cannot keep up with the increasing management requirements. Quite high production yield and strict quality control lead to heavy burden on the personnel working in lab. The testing results from instruments have to be downloaded manually, and all the other results are input by dedicated people into excel files, then it will take anther several hours to collect the excel files from different quality control departments, to merge and update into the required format for reporting. At the same time, it is very difficult to maintain, examine or query if the data are distributed and authorized on paper or via a few spreadsheet.
Mengniu decided to implement the pilot project in Helinger Production Base, where its Headquarter is located. The purpose is to build up a quality information management platform, which is not only able to meet the requirements of different types of labs, but also able to provide flexible reporting tools, so as to increase the work efficiency, standardize lab workflow, enhance corporate quality control, and greatly improve the data analysis and reporting capabilities.
Helinger Production Base consists of 5 plants, 4 QC departments of Group Quality Center, and Hi-tech R&D Analysis Center, and 13 big or small labs. The quality information management system based on SIAMTIC IT Unilab is required to comply with the current Mengniu Group quality management system and fully address the LIMS functionality, including sample management, equipment calibration, personnel management, material management (e.g. medical material) and related cost management.
The solution with SIMATIC IT Unilab
Now, the SIMATIC IT Unilab system installed on Mengniu site manages different business processes,., and covers all Mengniu business units,. in Helinger Production Base only, over 1,500,000 samples created each year.
Unilab system provides a user friendly interface and flexible configuration tools. The main objects are defined and maintained by the end users themselves, thus to reduce the programming and customization efforts. Since the configuration does not require the users to be equipped with profund computer and IT background, the lab users are able to be involved from the very beginning of design phase. In this way, the functionality can meet the actual requirements very well.
One of important functions, the instrument connection in Unilab, is to make the test results from instruments directly sent to Unilab, to avoid the data loss during copying and manual downloading/uploading, which may affect data accuracy and real-time feature. For example, the FT120 located in production lab of No.3 plant, generates about 400 samples every day. Now all the test data are automatically sent to and stored in Unilab without manual operation, thus can significantly reduce the workload and guarantee data transfer efficiently. At the same time, for data integrality and reliability, Unilab offers full auditing functionality which supports regulatory compliance and 21CFR11. Users are allowed to decide when and for what data, the Electronic Signature and Audit Trail should be set.
Different from other LIMS system, Unilab is designed to be implemented as a standalone LIMS or as a component of a fully integrated SIMATIC IT MES solution. In Mengniu project, Unilab is regarded as the group quality information management platform, managing the workflow and resources in different Helinger labs, including production labs, Quality Center labs, and Analysis Center labs. Meanwhile, Unilab also provides the required plant quality data to SIMATIC IT MES system of No.6 plant. Through its open concept, Unilab can interface with 3rd party software. The current Raw Milk Management system has been integrated into Unilab for raw milk sample information input. Finally, based on flexible and convenient reporting tools, all quality related data are real-time displayed in a structural way to match Mengniu management function, and shared throughout the company.
An advanced LIMS solution replaces original time consuming and error prone workflow; thanks to the flexible architecture, the solution could be rolled out quickly to other regions after the pilot; a centralized system to service the whole China, make it possible to share quality data real-time throughout the company and convenient system maintenance. Mengniu is benefiting from SIMATIC IT Unilab for accuracy, safety and efficiency. As commented by the top management of Mengniu Dairy Group, “So far, Unilab is the best information management system ever implemented in Mengniu.”
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