LabWare expands global lab software solutions from Delaware headquarters

ORIGINAL SOURCE: Delaware Business Times

WILMINGTON — Almost 40 years later, LabWare is developing software that assists thousands of laboratories around the world analyze and manage critical data, and its latest upgrade is to health programs to help further streamline operations.

LabWare debuted its Clinical Health Solution 5.06 at the end of September, an upgraded version of its clinical health solution platform. This version uses automation to streamline laboratory workflows and quality assurance processes. The latest version underwent an extensive validation process using automated tools that simulate user behavior, cutting testing time from weeks to just hours.

Public health labs and clinical diagnosticians can use the upgraded software’s enhanced data visualization and processes to track and coordinate with external or referral labs.

The launch of Clinical Health Solution 5.06 is just another way that LabWare works to provide information management systems to customers across the globe. Founded in 1987 by Vance Kershner, the privately held company serves more than 29,000 laboratories in 125 countries and employs about 1,000 people worldwide, including roughly 100 in Delaware.

“One thing that I’ve learned over the years is that virtually anything in front of you, a product that has been testing, more than likely LabWare has been a part of that,” Labware Director of Clinical Solutions Edward Krasovec said.

He credits the company’s ability to work closely with its customers to maintain that quality and offer new solutions as needs change over time.

LabWare’s customer engagement model is based on ongoing collaboration. Company leaders say they receive messages from customers every day — from troubleshooting questions to requests for new features — and use that feedback to shape future updates.

“We design solutions to solve a problem in a generic way, so they can be applied across industries,” he added. “A solution that helps a pharmaceutical client might also work for a refinery in Texas. That kind of cross-pollination has been a cornerstone of our success.”

Despite its global reach, LabWare has remained closely tied to Delaware’s scientific community. The company is an active member of the Delaware BioScience Association and maintains partnerships with the University of Delaware, NIIMBL at the STAR Campus and other regional organizations focused on science and technology.

LabWare continues to hire locally, drawing from a mix of graduates, including, but not limited to, computer science, biology and chemistry scholars. Company representatives said they look for problem-solvers as much as programmers, people who can be comfortable blending technology with scientific reasoning.

LabWare’s expertise was leveraged during the COVID-19 pandemic by the state of Delaware as they looked to software-related solutions to support the increase in disease testing statewide.

Over the years, the company has built a loyal customer base that includes major corporations such as DuPont, LabWare’s first client, which remains with the firm after more than three decades. The company also supports clients like UL and NSF, whose quality testing work spans everything from smartphones to plumbing fixtures.

“There was one customer this year. . . called Ingredient has 5,000 files and every one of those, the data is going through LabWare,” Krasovec said. “It’s a neat thing that when you look at something and you can say that’s likely LabWare has touched the data that has led that product to my desktop or into my hand.”