Company Background

A renowned automotive components group, the company serves major clients that are all Fortune Global 500 or China Top 500 enterprises, including Tesla, Johnson Controls, Nordyne, Delphi, Visteon, General Motors, Ford, Miele (Europe), Bosch, Siemens, Electrolux, Valeo, Mahle Behr, Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Audi, Volkswagen, Daikin (Japan), Toshiba, Panasonic, Hitachi, Mitsubishi, Sharp, Fujitsu, Mitsubishi Electric, Calsonic Kansei, LG and Samsung (South Korea), as well as Chinese companies such as Gree, Midea, Haier, Hisense-Kelon, FAW, SAIC Motor, BAIC, Geely-Volvo, and NIO.

Pursuing global industry leadership through technological innovation, the group has established a Central Research Institute in China and R&D centers in Detroit, Silicon Valley, and Houston in the United States, as well as in Germany. Following the successful implementation of SIPM/PLM at the institute, the group decided to launch a Laboratory Management System project for its research institute.

Project Objectives

The implementation of the SIPM/LIMS project aims to achieve the following objectives:

Implement core LIMS functionalities—including test request management, task scheduling, equipment/consumables/sample management, report management, and analytical reporting—to enable fully digitalized, online laboratory operations.
Custom-develop a LIMS management platform tailored to the specific needs of the research institute’s laboratories, thereby enhancing laboratory operational efficiency.
Integrate the digital laboratory management platform with the existing R&D PLM system, ensure seamless workflow and non-confidential data exchange with the current OA (Office Automation) system, and enable information interoperability with the group’s major experimental equipment platforms.
Explore and expand the utilization of laboratory testing data for broader analytical and strategic purposes.

Business Landscape:

Business Landscape

Commission Management:

The R&D department and other business personnel fill out commission details online. It is mandatory to associate the selection with a project number and project manager from the PLM system, along with selecting the drawing number and version number from PLM. Testing information must be chosen according to the test outline defined in PLM (including operating conditions and corresponding experimental result judgments). The system can estimate experimental costs based on samples and testing items. Upon completion of filling out the form, the commission is submitted and pushed to the OA system for approval. Once approved, the results are sent back to the LIMS system.

After the commission review, the applicant can print out the commission form and submit samples. They can also track the experiment progress in real-time. If samples have not yet been received, the commission can be terminated. After the report is completed, it can be downloaded.

Commission Management

Sample Management:

After receiving the printed commission form, the sample administrator prints a sample label, attaches it to the sample, and scans the sample to complete the receiving process in the system.When a lab technician requests to use a sample, the sample administrator scans the sample during issuance and can simultaneously view the associated experiment progress information.Upon completing the experiment, the lab technician returns the sample, and the sample administrator can again access the experiment progress details. When disposing of samples, the sample administrator must refer to and confirm the current experiment status before proceeding.

Sample Status Information

Task Assignment Management:

Task assignments can be performed either manually or semi-automatically. The system can recommend qualified lab technicians who will become available the earliest, as well as suggest suitable equipment that will be free the soonest. Equipment scheduling can be visualized via a Gantt chart.The system supports rush-order (expedited) task insertion, automatically rescheduling other experiments accordingly. For tasks already scheduled, users can:Adjust individual tasks,Insert rush orders with automatic rescheduling,Apply bulk adjustments (advance or delay all selected tasks),Reassign tasks to different lab technicians,and the system will automatically re-optimize the schedules of other affected tasks.

Task Assignment Management

Test Execution Management:

Upon receiving an experimental task, the lab technician performs pre-test preparations, including sample collection, equipment inspection, setting up operating condition parameters, configuring environmental parameters, uploading pre-test photos, and initiating the experiment.During the test, the technician can record and maintain process data, experimental data, in-process photos, and attachments. Upon completion of the experiment, the technician can return the sample.

Test Execution

Raw Data Record Management:

An Electronic Lab Notebook (ELN) template can be configured for each testing item, supporting both Word and Excel formats. Users can customize the layout and format of raw data record documents. Upon completing an experimental task, lab technicians can select the corresponding ELN template for that specific test item to automatically generate the appropriate raw data record content.

Raw Data Record Management

Report Management:

After completing a testing task, lab technicians can compile a test report. Multiple report templates can be pre-configured, and the technician may select one as needed. Once generated, the report can be submitted and supports both personal digital signatures and the company’s official seal.Completed reports can be formally issued. If issues are identified in a report, it can be voided, and a new report can be regenerated accordingly.

Report Management

Personnel Management:

The system enables management of personnel basic information, including certifications and qualifications for specific experimental capabilities. It also supports personnel training management.Additionally, it facilitates performance management by allowing the upload of employee overtime records. Monthly overtime hours can be automatically aggregated. The system also provides statistics on staff workload saturation and tracks individual work progress.

Personnel Management

Equipment Management:

The system allows creation of equipment registers and maintenance of basic equipment information. It also supports importing and managing sensor data associated with equipment, and enables printing of QR codes for each piece of equipment.

Equipment Register

Maintenance Management:

The equipment administrator can configure maintenance plans for equipment, supporting setup either by equipment category or for individual devices. Maintenance schedules can be created, including monthly, quarterly, and annual maintenance. The system automatically generates maintenance work orders, which the administrator then executes.

Maintenance Work Order

Inspection Management:

The equipment administrator can configure inspection plans for equipment, supporting setup either by equipment category or for individual devices. Lab technicians are required to perform equipment inspections before powering on the equipment each day, and experiments can only commence after the inspection is completed.

Inspection Management

Calibration Management:

The system administrator can bulk import and generate calibration tasks for equipment. Based on calibration reminders, the equipment administrator completes the calibration registration, entering calibration certificate details and associated costs, and updates the equipment register accordingly upon completion.

Calibration Task

Borrowing Management:

For certain portable equipment or tooling that can be borrowed, a borrowable inventory list is maintained. Applicants can submit borrowing requests online. Before issuing the equipment, the equipment administrator performs a pre-loan inspection and completes the issuance process. After use, the borrower returns the equipment, and the equipment administrator conducts a post-return inspection and finalizes the return process in the system.

Borrowing Management

Maintenance and Repair Management:

The system supports end-to-end online management of equipment repair processes. Lab technicians can submit equipment repair requests online, which automatically notify the equipment administrator. The administrator then assigns the repair task, specifying whether the repair will be handled internally or outsourced, along with assigning the responsible maintenance engineer.Upon receiving the repair task, the maintenance technician initiates the repair process. After completing the repair, they log the repair details, including repair type, fault type, repair description, solution description, time spent on repair, and parts consumed. Once the repair record is submitted, the original requester must confirm completion and provide an evaluation.

Repair Process

Disposal Management:

Administrators can manage equipment or tooling disposition, supporting actions such as sealing, unsealing, modification registration, and scrapping registration.

Sealing

Scrapping

Consumables Management:

The consumables administrator can manage consumables by creating consumable records, printing barcode labels, and performing scan-based inbound and outbound inventory operations. The system also supports online barcode scanning for inventory counts.

Consumables Management

Document Management:

The system allows quality/system administrators to create document categories (e.g., forms, procedure documents, operation manuals, etc.) and upload documents. All documents are managed with version control. When uploading a document, designated reviewers can be assigned; once the review is completed, the document becomes part of the official document repository.If a document requires updates in the future, a change request can be initiated based on the original version, and the system will automatically increment the version number upon approval.

Document Management

Test Item Records:

The system supports creating and configuring test item codes, estimated test durations, test fees, and billing methods (e.g., per unit, per operating condition, per sub-item, per test rig, or per hour). It also allows configuration of environmental parameters and operating conditions.

Test Item

Customized Coding Rules:

The system supports configurable and customizable coding rules for sample IDs and report numbers. Sample codes are tightly linked to the commission order number, with samples under each commission order numbered sequentially starting from 001.Reports can be generated per test item, and the report number includes the corresponding test item code.

Customized Coding Rules

Email Login Verification:

To enhance system security, an email verification code feature has been implemented. Users must enter a verification code sent to their registered email address during each login. The verification code is valid for 5 minutes and allows up to 5 incorrect attempts. Additionally, users are required to change their password in PLM upon their first login.

Summary:

Established a standardized, end-to-end digital testing workflow—from commission request, sample receipt, task assignment, test execution, raw data recording, to report generation—all managed online.

Implemented a hybrid scheduling approach combining manual and automated task planning, with automatic rescheduling of affected tasks when changes occur, significantly reducing manual adjustment efforts and time.

Built a comprehensive scientific management framework covering all key laboratory elements: personnel, equipment, materials, methods, environment, and testing (the "5M1E" model).

Achieved integrated application of the LIMS system with the PLM system (for test outlines) and the OA system (for commission request approval workflows).