Companies continue to sharpen their focus on integrated solutions and workflows to increase lab productivity and differentiate themselves in the marketplace. At this year’s Pittcon, IBO spoke with executives at MilliporeSigma, Shimadzu Scientific Instruments (SSI) and Thermo Fisher Scientific. Each company has recently reorganized executive responsibilities to reflect an emphasis on the integration of workflow components for specific end-markets and applications. As the executives discussed, an orientation around the total workflow enables companies to more effectively address the key bottlenecks of their customers and increase lab efficiency.

IBO spoke with Tom Loewald, who was recently named to the newly created position of CCO of Thermo Fisher Scientific after serving as president of Analytical Instruments. As he told IBO, his new responsibilities as CCO encompass leading the company’s global web initiative, overseeing key accounts and heading Unity Lab Services. In addition, he oversees the customer care organization and branding. His new role reflects the company’s size and the creation of an even more unified presence for customers.

An example of this approach is the recent transition of the content from its former Life Technologies website to the new Thermo Scientific website. “ThermoFisher.com is now the premier source for anything related to the type of markets we serve. FisherScientific.com will continue to be an avenue for customers to choose from a selection of products and the convenience of shopping online,” said Ron O’Brien, director of Public Relations.

Another example of integrated resources is the creation of teams within the company to address customers’ workflows. “We’re constantly creating new organizational structures that think workflow,” said Mr. Loewald. For example, he said, for biobanking applications, Thermo Fisher can offer lab equipment, informatics and even a MS, among other products. “So we’ll create a vertical team that will show up at a biobank customer, representing all of the capabilities.”

Service is also integral to how the company serves customers. “If we’re more valuable to that customer, we’re in the lab more,” said Mr. Loewald. “We have the ability with analytics now to say, ‘that instrument is under-utilized or over-utilized,’ or ‘look at the service history, it’s time for a new one.’ So if we’re adding that value, we’re typically going to get that first call for a new instrument.”

IBO also spoke with Jakob Gudbrand, former vice president, Chromatography & Integration Chromatography & Mass Spectrometry, who now heads the newly formed Chromatography and Analytical Technologies segment within Thermo Fisher Analytical Instruments. The new segment includes the company’s chromatography platforms, as well its atomic spectroscopy and LIMS portfolios. As he explained, the combined capabilities allow the business to better and more quickly serve customers’ workflows, addressing areas such as sample preparation.

Mr. Gudbrand described to IBO that customers are often seeking more than just an instrument but rather a solution to a particular challenge in their lab. “That’s why we’re trying to come across in a more holistic way,“ he said. “Where before [the latest organizational changes], it was a little bit harder to make that happen at the speed we wanted it to happen.”

Another company aiming to more closely integrate a wide range of products is MilliporeSigma, which was formed through Merck KGaA’s acquisition of Sigma-Aldrich (see IBO 11/30/15). IBO spoke with Theresa S. Creasey, PhD, head of Applied Solutions, at MilliporeSigma. For applied markets, she oversees R&D, marketing, product management and business development, reflecting MilliporeSigma’s efforts to combine the formerly separate companies’ resources. “We wanted to pull scientists together under one innovation group. We felt that driving innovations is really a big part of our agenda,” she told IBO. “But now we have the ability to bring folks who are used to consumables development, kits etc., together with folks that really do instrumentation development as well.”

The integration will include putting the legacy EMD Millipore products onto the Sigma-Aldrich website to better leverage Sigma-Aldrich’s history of investment in the site. “That’s a big priority because it is just what our customers want,” Dr. Creasey added, referring to real-time pricing and availability as well as next day delivery options.

But, Dr. Creasey emphasized, the primary focus for MilliporeSigma remains external. “Our number one priority, especially for our company, [which is] going through an integration, is not to lose focus on the customer,” she said.

Discussing the opportunities for MilliporeSigma at Pittcon, Dr.. Creasey highlighted sample preparation. The company showed workflows combining formerly separate product lines. At its Pittcon press conference, MilliporeSigma showcased the breadth of products for water quality and environmental testing workflows, ranging from the new Spectroquant Prove spectrometer for water testing (see page 8) to Milli-Q Water Purification Systems, Millex Syringe Filters, and GC and LC columns. For HPLC workflows, the company noted its ability to provide sample preparation products, separation technologies, mobile phases and verification materials.

SSI, the US subsidiary of Shimadzu, described to IBO its transition to a more market-oriented strategy. “A lot of that was made possible when Terry [Adams] was promoted to VP of Marketing,” said Chris Gaylor, senior vice president, Sales, at SSI. “The vision was we would be market specific, like a lot of companies are doing.” The strategy continues to evolve, for example with a new team devoted to the company’s physical measurement testing product portfolio, whereas previously each product line was handled separately. Consequently, the company’s breadth of product lines is a strength.

The company also continues to focus on integrated solutions by offering systems packages for specific markets, such as the new HPLC-based Bioethanol Analyzer. Such solutions increase lab productivity, as do new validated method packages. “We’re also working on a lot of method packages, so a pesticide method package, a degradents in plastic method package, a water method package,” said Mr. Adams. “So instead of giving the customer just the instrument and some know how, we’ll make it turn key,” explained Mr. Adams. Validated methods address the problem caused by customers’ varying interpretation of methods, helping standardize lab operations and thus increase productivity.