In an era defined by increasing diagnostic workload and complexity, Total Lab Automation (TLA) offers clinical laboratories a clear path to operational excellence.
Nowadays, clinical laboratories face growing demands: higher testing volumes, faster turnaround times (TAT), rising operational costs, and the constant pressure to improve quality and patient safety. To meet these challenges, many clinical labs are turning toward Total Laboratory Automation, a transformative approach that streamlines every phase of the testing process, from sample reception to result delivery and storage.
How Total Laboratory Automation Enhances Clinical Lab Operations
- Workflow Efficiency & Productivity
By automating repetitive tasks like sample sorting, routing, aliquoting, and transport, labs can significantly reduce manual intervention and associated errors. Automation standardises processes, ensuring consistent TAT across routine and STAT testing, and frees staff to focus on high-value analytical and interpretive work.
- Traceability & Quality Assurance
In a TLA setup, each sample is tracked comprehensively from entry to disposal. This full traceability not only improves quality control but also supports regulatory compliance and audit readiness. Labs can trace every action taken on a tube, including who, what, when and where, to facilitate robust quality governance.
- Cost Reduction & Better Resource Utilisation
Although automation involves upfront investment, the downstream savings are significant:
- Lower labour costs due to reduced manual processes
- Reduced waste and re-runs from fewer handling errors
- Better resource allocation and inventory management
- Enhanced uptime and throughput leading to ROI over time
These benefits help labs to thrive even when operational budgets are under pressure.
Inpeco: Leader in Total Laboratory Automation
For clinical labs seeking robust, scalable automation solutions, Inpeco stands out as a global leader. With more than 2,600 systems shipped to 78 countries, Inpeco’s portfolio is designed around flexibility, traceability and future-proof scalability.
FlexLab™ X — Next-Generation Flagship TLA System
The FlexLab™ X is Inpeco’s newest and most advanced automation system. FlexLab™ X is engineered to streamline workflows, enhance operational performance, and reduce long-term costs. Its key strengths include:
- Open, vendor-neutral design: Freely combine best-of-breed analyzers from multiple manufacturers, which gives labs independence and flexibility.
- Modular scalability: Standardised track components and compact modules allow tailored layouts that grow with your needs.
- High throughput: With capabilities reaching tens of thousands of tubes per hour, FlexLab™ X can handle a wide range of laboratory sizes and test volumes.
- DMX software: The Data Management FlexLab™ X platform offers intelligent sample routing, real-time KPI dashboards, customizable reports, and multi-site monitoring. This enables continuous workflow optimisation and better visibility into lab performance.
This combination of performance and intelligence makes FlexLab™ X an attractive long-term investment for labs committed to delivering premium-quality, traceable results while managing operational efficiency and costs.
Automation doesn’t begin inside the laboratory alone. Solutions like Inpeco’s ProTube® Suite extend traceability and error prevention all the way from the collection site — ensuring accurate patient and tube identification, safer sample handling, and seamless transition into the core lab workflow. Together with FlexLab™, this creates a Total Testing Process where quality, safety, and efficiency are embedded in every step.
Conclusion
With advanced solutions like Inpeco’s FlexLab™ X and intelligent data management tools, clinical laboratories gain the flexibility, performance, and efficiency needed to deliver high-quality results while controlling costs, making automation an investment you simply cannot afford to omit.
At The Science Support, we’re proud to partner with Inpeco to bring FlexLab™ X to labs seeking true automation and help you transition from manual, labor-intensive workflows to a streamlined, efficient, future-proof infrastructure.
If you want to learn how FlexLab™ X could transform your lab’s workflow, throughput, and data management, contact us for more information. Discover our complete portfolio of integrated solutions here.