Comprehensive, creative and advanced engineering solutions SUCCESS STORIES / healthcare sector BALAGUE CENTER Technical direction, development and industrialising of an automated biological sample sorter and serum bank « The addition of the IFC team to the project provided us with a new set of solutions for the challenges we faced from our rapid growth.» Miquel Parellada – Manager THE COMPANY BALAGUE CENTER is a leading laboratory in specialised techniques with an international clientele. Rapid growth and other considerations at BALAGUE CENTER led to the decision to upgrade process automation in order to improve reliability, reduce delivery times, and guarantee traceability of processes. THE CHALLENGE In addition to the challenge of using conventional processes to handle increased demand for analysis and a high sample processing volume, BALAGUE CENTER was faced with other issues regarding pre-analysis processes such as data entry and the reception and classification of samples as well as post-analysis processes such as validation and preservation of samples. DETERMINING FACTORS The special characteristics of the product make a standard solution unviable. So the decision was made to search for a novel, customised, innovative and creative solution. IFC TEAM was the engineering firm chosen to take on the project. THE SOLUTION Using techniques and technologies which are unconventional for the sector, IFC TEAM undertook an ambitious project that would ensure that the organisation’s goals would be met and exceeded. IFC TEAM robotised the handling of samples during the different phases of the process, incorporated artificial vision to recognise and control samples, provided RFID solutions to ensure identification and traceability of the samples throughout the different stages of the process, installed automated freezers in robotic environments to store the 102,400 samples in BALAGUE CENTER’s automated serum bank, and developed powerful software management to monitor and control the Ingeniería de Fabricación y Control S.L e-mail: ifcteam@ifcteam.com system. The result was a benchmark innovative solution to meet the needs of BALAGUE CENTER and other laboratories that share the same characteristics. THE RESULTS Because of its innovative nature in the sector, the IFC TEAM project for BALAGUE CENTER was presented at a medical conference in Vienna in 2006. BALAGUE CENTER decided to place the responsibility for directing the technical project and the development and implementation of the automated serum bank in the hands of IFC TEAM based on the experience they would be able to bring to bear on the project, and the fact that no comparable solution was available on the market at that time. C/ Juan de la Cierva, 2 08760 Martorell www.balague.com  +34 937 736 107 www.ifcteam.com