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Case Studies > Formulatrix Designs Laboratory Automation Equipment to Accelerate Life-Saving Pharmaceutical Research

Formulatrix Designs Laboratory Automation Equipment to Accelerate Life-Saving Pharmaceutical Research

Technology Category
  • Platform as a Service (PaaS) - Data Management Platforms
  • Platform as a Service (PaaS) - Connectivity Platforms
  • Analytics & Modeling - Real Time Analytics
Applicable Industries
  • Pharmaceuticals
Applicable Functions
  • Product Research & Development
  • Quality Assurance
Use Cases
  • Remote Collaboration
  • Predictive Maintenance
  • Machine Condition Monitoring
Services
  • Cloud Planning, Design & Implementation Services
  • System Integration
  • Software Design & Engineering Services
The Challenge
Formulatrix, a leading developer of laboratory automation equipment for pharmaceutical research, faced significant challenges in managing communication and collaboration between its engineering teams located in the United States and Indonesia. The company needed a cloud-native CAD and data management platform to streamline these processes and prevent version control issues. The time zone differences and the need to email files back and forth were causing delays and inefficiencies. Additionally, the company required a solution that could handle the rapid iteration cycles necessary for their design and prototyping processes.
About The Customer
Formulatrix is a prominent developer of laboratory automation equipment, specializing in automated imaging technology for pharmaceutical research. Headquartered in Bedford, Massachusetts, the company serves approximately 95% of the protein crystallization imaging market. Its clientele includes major pharmaceutical companies and academic research institutions such as AMGEN, AstraZeneca, Bayer, Genentech, Johnson & Johnson, Lilly, Merck, Cornell University, Johns Hopkins University, Harvard University, and Dartmouth College. Formulatrix's innovative products, like the ROCK IMAGER 1000, significantly enhance the efficiency and accuracy of protein crystallization processes, which are crucial for understanding the atomic composition of proteins and developing new treatments for various diseases.
The Solution
Formulatrix adopted Onshape, a cloud-native CAD and data management platform, to address its collaboration and version control challenges. Onshape's real-time data management capabilities allowed engineering teams in the U.S. and Indonesia to work simultaneously on the same CAD model, with changes updating in real-time. This eliminated the need to email files back and forth, significantly speeding up the design process. Onshape's comprehensive Edit History feature enabled the team to track design changes and revert to any previous state, fostering more iterations and innovation. Additionally, Onshape's mobile integration provided service engineers with the tools to maintain machines at customer sites more effectively, ensuring they could access the latest design revisions and order the correct parts.
Operational Impact
  • Onshape's real-time data management streamlined collaboration between engineering teams in the U.S. and Asia, reducing the time spent on sharing design updates.
  • The comprehensive Edit History feature encouraged more design iterations, as the team could easily revert to any prior stage of the design.
  • Onshape's mobile integration envisioned for service engineering teams to better maintain machines at customer sites, improving customer service.
Quantitative Benefit
  • Formulatrix serves about 95% of the protein crystallization imaging market.
  • The ROCK IMAGER 1000 can handle 1,000 plates, with each plate having up to 96 different samples, allowing for 96,000 individual experiments simultaneously.
  • The device can analyze 96 samples every five minutes, operating 24 hours a day.

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