Abstract
Wave of Automation Hits Europe
Clinical laboratory automation, which began its eastward migration from Japan, is now emerging in force in Europe. This bold initiative by the Japanese to reduce the labor costs associated with the processing and analysis of medical specimens is gaining in popularity in the Pacific Rim, North America, and now in Europe.
European labor markets are distinctly different from those of the United States or Japan, but all three are united by the common concern to drastically reign in health care costs. Until recently, Europeans have adopted a cautious attitude to laboratory automation, whilst watching its progress in the United States and Japan. Now, however, several pioneers have taken the initiative to purchase and install automation. Driving them is the belief in a long term view for the payback offered by automation. In one case, the laboratory is anticipating labor reductions of two to three technologists yielding an anticipated ten year pay back. In contrast, North Americans have placed automation into laboratories that can justify less than a 5-year pay back on the invested capital. Figure 1 shows the distribution of European population by country. Figure 2 examines the number of hospitals per million inhabitants. Britain has been under significant pressure to reduce health care costs and therefore has the lowest number of hospitals per capita. Consequently, the first laboratory automation system contract was in London.
Courtesy of Trillium (Grafrath, Germany)
Courtesy of Trillium (Grafrath, Germany)
In this issue of Laboratory Automation News, we have highlighted the pioneers who have taken the initiative to enter this potentially lucrative field despite the uncertainty that surrounds the use of any new technology. Pierangelo Bonini has also described the potential impact of the unification of Europe on the health care sector and role automation will play in this initiative.
On September 10th, 1997 the installation was initiated for the first Boehringer Mannheim/Hitachi CLAS system in Europe. John H.M. Souverijn and Augueste Sturk report their planning strategy and their anticipated benefits for installing an advanced Total Laboratory Automation System.
The first Coulter Corporation/IDS CLA system is planning to be installed at Guy's, and St. Thomas's Hospital in London in January of 1988.
David Guthrie reports on page 20 an outline of his, and Dr. Michael Wheeler's preparatory work and anticipated benefits. Software is generally considered the major challenge to solve when creating an integrated automation system.
Jorge Carmona reports on his progress (page 14) with creating scheduling software which has immediate applications in the pharmaceutical industry, but may have broader applications in laboratories of all disciplines in the future.
Georg Hoffmann, Peter Slapansky, and W. Vogt report on the benefits of simulation modeling in understanding the needs of the German Heart Center Laboratory in Munich. Simulation allows laboratories to plan for automation using the principle of “try before you buy”.
In a future issue of LAN we will examine the European perspective on automation of pharmaceutical and biotechnology laboratories.
Progress in the automation of European clinical, pharmaceutical, and analytical laboratories will be discussed and debated at LabAutomation'98(Europe), a conference which will be held in Keble College, Oxford, England ( figure 3 ) on September 26–29, 1998 (details on page 24). This conference will be hosted by the international non-profit organization, The Association for Laboratory Automation. Watch the ALA web site http://labautomation.org for details about this exciting scientific program and exhibition.
Keble College, Oxford, England, site of the first LabAutomation'98 Europe
