In this series we like to highlight the flowbot® ONE. We will tell you more about the system that makes liquid handling easy and speak to the developer and users of the flowbot® ONE. In this episode we will share our own experience with the flowbot® ONE.
LabHelp: more than just a flowbot® ONE distributor
LabHelp automates your lab with existing infrastructure and your current workflow. Automation and robotization go hand in hand. As a logical consequence of this, LabHelp Robotics was established in 2014 as a sister company of LabHelp. Where LabHelp deals with software automation solutions, LabHelp Robotics mainly focuses on the purchase and sale, maintenance, and calibration of laboratory equipment. One of those is the flowbot® ONE.
Jeroen Poodt, Managing Director at LabHelp LabAutomation and LabHelp Robotics: “When we started with robotics, we began with the PIRO® system. Unfortunately, in 2018, they stopped producing the system. We searched for a replacement that worked well with our process of automatization, delivers good quality for the customer and is user-friendly. That was quite a search. But then the flowbot® ONE crossed our path. In the flowbot® ONE we found a user-friendly system with high quality. Most importantly Flow Robotics, the company who developed the flowbot® ONE, is an innovative company, just like us. We are not just their distributor for the Netherlands, but a partner. The flowbot® ONE and the software are always evolving. With our extended knowledge of the practice, we try to guide Flow Robotics with this. We both put the customer first and think in possibilities. That is why we share our findings and feedback from customers and always strive to improve the customer experience.”
Experience and personal attention
LabHelp has more than 25 years of experience in molecular diagnostics, equipment and process automation and has been implementing various middleware solutions for 10 years now. LabHelp communicates in technical jargon of ICT and Molecular Diagnostics. LabHelp Robotics is also ISO9001 and ISO27001 certified.
Jeroen Poodt: “The price-quality ratio of the flowbot® ONE is very good, and the system and the associated software offer a lot of possibilities, for the customer, but also for our middleware. The flowbot® ONE fits in our way of automatization. We have a lot of experience in the field and also with the implementation of robots like the flowbot® ONE. That is how we can help our customers in the best possible way. Personal attention for your situation and years of experience ensures tailor-made solutions for your laboratory. We don’t just deliver the robot, that is only a part of the process.”
“It always starts with a problem or situation the customer is experiencing. We aim to find the right solution, not just a robot. In many cases the flowbot® ONE is the solution, due to its many possibilities and flexibility. We know what the flowbot® ONE has to offer in terms of techniques to be able to execute certain things. Prior to the sale we determine, together with the customer, whether this system has the right capabilities to solve their problem. We don’t just talk about it, but also like to show our customers and let them experience it for themselves. The flowbot® ONE is just one piece of the puzzle. To make sure all lab equipment can work together we also have the middleware that allows collaboration between the different lab equipment. In this way we can create a tailor-made solution for your laboratory”, Jeroen Poodt explains.
Jeroen Schellekens, Application Specialist at LabHelp: “After the installation we always provide an extensive training and support until it works. We make sure to educate our customers, so they are independent and can easily change things to adjust the system to their current needs. Of course, they can always keep counting on LabHelp. We provide regular maintenance, replace parts that are subject to wear and run updates, so the system continues to function optimally. When there are new possibilities, we show our customer and let them see how things work and how they can use it in their practice specifically.”
Free up time to do great science
Pipetting manually can be ergonomically very heavy and time consuming. Thanks to the flowbot® ONE you can largely automate the process, improve your workflow, save time and the chance of errors is zero, because you program it beforehand.
LabHelp customers use the flowbot® ONE especially in the following fields:
- Nucleic Acid Isolation
- PCR setup
- NGS Library prep
Jeroen Poodt: “We started selling the flowbot® ONE at the beginning of 2020. Of course, we all know what happened that year. Due to the circumstances in the world our first robots were primarily used for Covid testing. As we already mentioned the flowbot® ONE offers one platform for all your labware, and you can customize the components to your needs. At LabHelp we find it important that the customer is always getting the most out of their purchase. That is why together with the current users we now re-evaluate how they can best use the flowbot® ONE at this moment. For new customers, as said, we start with their problem or situation and work from there to optimize their lab processes.”
“The flowbot® ONE has clearly proven itself in the molecular labs of hospitals but can of course be used in many other laboratory settings. That is where we are focussing on right now, expanding to other branches, so everyone can experience the many qualities of this great system,” Jeroen concludes.
