In mid-2018, the team at the Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) vehicle testing facility and proving grounds in Chelsea, Michigan was searching for a laboratory information management system (LIMS) that could effectively manage test operations for 24 chassis dynamometers in their mileage accumulation test facility. FCA’s goal was to improve the efficiency of their lab, while also streamlining lab management processes for their team.
Link Engineering Company was approached to demonstrate the efficiencies and functionality that our LIMS program, LabLINK, could offer. Following a successful “live” demonstration in which LINK connected 3 of the 24 mileage accumulation dynamometers to a demo LabLINK system, FCA chose LINK’s solution and began preparations to implement the software.
LabLINK was initially developed to improve the management of LINK’s internal laboratories. Specifically designed to optimize and streamline the lab management process, LabLINK is a comprehensive and modular LIMS, and is now available worldwide. Customers have the flexibility to choose which modules best fit their lab’s needs, whether that is the entire system or one or two specific modules.
Through customizations, LabLINK is compatible with most existing ERP systems or business databases. Built on a secure browser-based application that can be viewed on a desktop, smartphone, or tablet anywhere in the world, LabLINK furthers the accessibility and visibility of operations within a lab. LabLINK enables users to streamline testing, create test requests, schedule resources, and monitor asset utilization in real-time.
Given the flexibility of the software, LINK and FCA worked hand in hand on this project to create a tailored program that optimally meets FCA’s needs. Jerry Curtis, LINK’s Director of Quality & Business Systems and in-house LabLINK expert, worked on-site with the FCA team. His goal was to facilitate the installation and adoption of the new system in a way that respects the needs of the end-users.
“We’re thrilled with the implementation. LINK truly set out to develop a system to meet our specific needs. We dedicated a full-time headcount for two months to find a LIMS that would match our requirements, and none of them were up to the task…until we found LabLINK. Looking back, we were visiting LINK for a non-related concern and discovered a LabLINK generated report used regularly at LINK’s Dearborn test facility. It was a report we produce all the time in a very painstaking, labor-intensive process. LabLINK does in seconds what takes us hours. We immediately realized our search for a LIMS was over.” – Steve Pliska Jr – FCA Group
LabLINK currently operates in every LINK testing laboratory around the world, interconnecting each of our laboratories in China, Germany, Korea, Brazil, Italy, and the United States. Operating through a single system which is easily accessible, LabLINK enables us to monitor and manage our global testing operations in real-time.
To learn more about LabLINK, email j.curtis@linkeng.com.
