Scientific Services Enable Biorepository’s Workforce Transformation

Challenge

A leading global biologics R&D company began shifting its financial portfolio to support a growing pipeline, putting greater emphasis on first-to-market projects and increased profitability, while challenging each site to reduce costs.

For the company’s biorepository facility, this meant limitations on staffing core research functions while continuing to support the critical and rapidly increasing sample management needs of the entire organization. Compounded by tightening labor markets and options, the organization faced hard decisions to potentially reduce service levels and the biorepository’s value-adding services.

How could the facility expect to accomplish more tasks with less staff? Was it even possible?

Solution

The company recognized Avantor Services as a high-quality, cost-effective, flexible, and scalable solution to meet their sample management needs. After an in-depth review, Avantor Services identified the most efficient process and assembled an experienced team to manage the program.

Adhering to Good Laboratory Practices (GLPs), the Avantor Services team is currently performing all sample management at this site, including tracking and receipt of specimen shipments as well as accessioning of specimens.

Additionally, Avantor Services manages all data entry processes, such as updating sample databases in the company’s Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS), sample registration, and maintenance of sample life-cycle documentation.

The biorepository leadership also asked Avantor Services to manage freezers within their facility. The team now provides on-call freezer monitoring and basic freezer preventative maintenance, safeguarding against sample loss and out-of-compliance equipment.

Result

The customer benefited with savings generated through process efficiency following the transfer of the operation to Avantor Services (a savings of $300,000). Despite a leaner team, Avantor Services onsite associates were able to deliver the quality so critical to R&D while managing the increasing sample management volume, with zero productivity disruption due to lean process optimization.

Since the addition of the Avantor Services team, the biorepository facility has reclaimed time for its highly valued scientists to grow the company’s strategic advantage. Avantor Services performs protocol-driven processes, allowing researchers to focus on higher scientific functions.

Given the success of this sample management program, the company recently expanded the responsibilities of Avantor Services onsite service team to other sample management sites in North America.