LIMS in the manufacturing environment

The type of laboratory that implements a LIMS is very important in determining the requirements of the LIMS. This article focuses on the requirements for a manufacturing LIMS. The objectives of a manufacturing laboratory that a LIMS should support are presented. Issues that should be considered in the initial planning stage of implementing a manufacturing LIMS are discussed. Functional requirements for a manufacturing LIMS examined in the article are the ability to: (1) handle various material types, (2) grade products, (3) allow flexibility in test method configuration, (4) handle data limits and variable sets of data. (5) revise and track test methods and specifications, and (6) maintain a customer and/or supplier database.