Interfacing:

We have built interfaces so that data can be downloaded in the software’s database at the end of each run. This frees up the main computer for recording new samples, analysing data and producing client reports.

Advantages: Freeing up of resources, reduction in data entry.

Multi-user:

With a 5 user license, operators could be registering samples, updating physical tests (water, fuel, viscosity), downloading results from instruments, emailing and printing reports at the same time.

Advantages: efficiencies through multi tasking in high volume laboratories.

Reporting:

Printing and faxing

The system interfaces to Microsoft Excel creating reports with combined data and graphs, giving the client both statistical and visual clues about the result.

Interface is seamless, requiring no operator intervention.

Reports can be printed or faxed (again without operator intervention).

High quality reports can be printed to colour laser or inkjet printers.

Advantages: Client preference over text only reports. Reports contain visual clues to troubled samples.

Email

To speed delivery and reduce distribution costs, reports could be emailed to the client, either as spreadsheets or HTML (web compatible) files to be viewed in browsers.

Advantages: Costs reductions in mailing (stationery, postage and operator/ clerical time) or faxing. Reductions in turnaround time (from the time the sample is dispatched from the client, to the time he receives the results - emails go directly to his desk).

Web

The final delivery method is as a web page, dynamically created when the user queries the laboratories web site. This is currently in development stage.

We can create a web site by using either the tools that the system is written in, or a third party product (Seagate Crystal Reports).

Once set-up, reports are available as soon as the results are ‘in’. The client would be automatically notified by email that the results are ready.

Because the client is querying the whole database, he is able to choose between looking at either the last 3 samples, or at every sample since the sampling began.

This can be charted, giving him information to make decisions about the appropriate course of action.

OSA could interface to several e-commerce solutions with built in customer profiling.

Advantages: Reports don’t have to be prepared for each sample; the client queries the results.

The client then has control over the degree of information he needs (through different reporting options). There is less chance of information overload.

Different client contacts can view the same information at the same time. This avoids communication and response problems around vacation time.

It avoids the need for client charting software that some laboratories provide, eliminating:

·         The need to install special software on the clients’ computer.

·         The need to offer one to one training for the client

·         The need to provide regular updates of data, either on disk or downloaded via modem. No matter how often this is done, it will still lag the currency of a web based solution.

·         The need to provide maintenance and updates on the client software (as opposed to the data).

Report Customisation:

Because reports are based on a Microsoft Excel engine, the laboratory (or software developer) can change the style of the report for individual clients and/ or to the type of oil compartment sampled.

Advantages:  By customer profiling, and delivering reports that are more meaningful, information overload is reduced. Laboratories can easily differentiate their services from their competition.

Standards:

These are the standards against which results are compared.

Typically, these standards have been static - determined once and not updated. They don’t make allowances for differences in laboratory techniques or instrument characteristics.

The OSA system recalculates standards using the results database, standard deviations from the mean, and against an expected failure rate.

As well as being analysed against the type of oil compartment, they can be analysed for individual clients.

For example, if the client is a mine, located at high altitudes in a region of high sulphur fuel, iron and chromium results are going to be higher than the norm. You don’t want false alarms and standards need to be set to reflect this. The OSA system compensates automatically.

Recalculation of standards, while involved, can be run unattended after normal operating hours.

On the other hand, some customers want to compare results against the manufacturer’s standards.

The system allows choices of up to 5 sets of standards per compartment.

If you don’t have a specific standard for a compartment, the system rolls back to the next highest level (the highest being a generic standard calculated from one of nine general compartment types).

Advantages: Comparisons against standards are always accurate, giving less false alarms and more meaningful reports.  This results in greatly improved client satisfaction.

Because results are automatically calculated, laboratory operators are not as concerned with finding and maintaining standards. They can devote more time to revenue generating  activities.

Customisation and Flexibility:

What we offer is a standard solution, but one that can be customised to suit different applications.

For example, results generated by a laboratory specialising in analysing water quality can be analysed by standard tools (Seagate Crystal Reports and MapInfo), to generate colour coded maps.

The elementary changes needed are some additional fields to the database (for geographic grid references), and generation of reports using these fields.

Advantages: You are not locked into an inflexible system, so you can explore new markets by leveraging a well developed base system.

Database Mining:

All systems use an underlying database, but many systems are restricted to just one database.

OSA uses, by default, Pervasive SQL. However we can also use others, including Microsoft SQL Server, Oracle, IBM’s DB2 etc.

Many systems run on only one platform. OSA can run across several including Microsoft Windows 95, 98 and NT, Unix (from quite a range of manufacturer’s), Linux and IBM’s AS400.

What this means is that OSA can interface to, and be integrated with, many corporate databases, thus leveraging its features.

For example, with OSA you could very simply and easily:-

·         Pass accounting information to other systems

·         Create work orders where problems need to be investigated (in the case of in-house laboratories)

·         Interface with scheduled maintenance activities in large mining companies (or with production control)

·         Pass information to product support representatives for follow up. It is a reason to initiate client contact. For example, where laboratories are part of heavy equipment dealerships, timely knowledge of clients experiencing problems can lead to ever increasing parts and service revenues.

Advantages: Flexibility and integration lessens the likelihood that OSA becomes a orphan system that doesn’t talk to a corporation’s main IT assets.

Auxiliary Products:

OSA was originally based on our maintenance management systems for heavy plant and equipment.

Because of this we can interface to other GS&A products, namely:

·         Accounting

·         Scheduled Maintenance and Work Order modules

·         Fuels and Oil Control (to establish load factors for various plant and equipment, and their bearing on the rate of wear metal generating

·         Asset and Equipment Financial Registers

·         Supply (Purchasing, Cataloguing, Inventory and Contracts)

Advantages: There is a range of off-the-shelf add ons for OSA.

Future Proofing:

The area of information technology changes daily and no one wants to be left standing still.

At G S & A we pick our development tools with this in mind, ensuring that OSA will continue to develop over time.

We are continuously enhancing our products with this, as well as our clients’ needs, in mind. Current trend are towards:

·         Thin clients (as opposed to the traditional client/ server configurations) where operators access the system using web browsers. This has major consequences for amalgamating laboratory operations and data.

·         New report generators for enhanced (greater impact) and quicker reporting.

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Copyright © 1999 Greg Sier & Associates PL
Last modified: May 03, 2001