Page 55 - FoodFocusThailand No.143_February 2018

STRONG QC & QA

8. Look for new products that can increase throughput: There
are plenty of new laboratory products available every year, seeking
to increase sample throughput and make protocols more efficient.
Keep an eye out for the new generation of programmable lab
equipment that allows you to set a protocol and leave the unit running
for hours or even days without requiring supervision.
Don’t always assume that the big players have all of the answers.
If you have suggestions for an improvement to a product that would
benefit your method, smaller, more flexible manufacturers may well
be able to modify their equipment to better suit you.
9. See your equipment as a long-term investment: From
planning and method development should start from the required
output. Knowing your aim and working backwards saves the wasted pipettes to complex HPLCs, life science laboratory equipment should
time and effort of getting to the end of writing up a method only to be viewed as an investment. If your output demand was to double in
realize that it isn’t possible to process as many samples as you need a year’s time, could your current equipment still meet your needs?
to. Equally, rank the quality of the instrument against your needs. If
6. Make inventory levels visible: Instead of filling every inch of you are buying something that you are going to use all day, every
available storage space with cardboard boxes, consider using see- day, perhaps spending a little extra on something well-built will be
through storage boxes so that it is obvious when stocks are running better in the long run than going for the “cheap and cheerful” option
low. Plus, cardboard is a hive of activity for all manner of fungi and that needs to be replaced every few months.
other nasties that would like nothing more than to interfere with your 10. Maintain your equipment: As well as being fit-for-purpose
assays at a moment’s notice. now and in the future, consider how your equipment will be maintained.
Without regular maintenance and servicing, even the most well-
Equipment engineered equipment will operate less efficiently. Worse still, an
7. Plan your equipment requirements in advance: Having an equipment fault that rendered your key piece of instrumentation
equipment calendar makes it much easier to ensure that everyone unusable would have disastrous consequences for your throughput.
has what they need, when they need it. There are plenty of free shared
online calendars that can be accessed by everyone in the lab to allow
them to plan ahead. เอกสารอ้างอิง/Reference
www.selectscience.net/top-lists/10-top-tips-for-life-science-laboratory-efficiency/
?artID=37745

FEB 2018 FOOD FOCUS THAILAND 55