BIOMÉRIEUX
TESTO ETHERNET PROBE CALIBRATION AND ADJUSTMENT SOFTWARE
The project consisted in developing a client-rich application for calibration and adjustment of Testo Saveris probes.
Total project duration: 10 months
The total cost of the project was 142 man days
Details of the project :
Problematic
BioMérieux has acquired new Testo Saveris temperature probes, which are at the heart of the new version of its Ethernet-based production supervision system.
These probes must be calibrated regularly, at least once a year.
A calibration cycle lasts on average 24 hours. In order to facilitate these calibration operations, a calibration cycle must be able to run on 25 probes simultaneously, recover the measurements in real time and once the cycle is over, automatically issue certificates of conformity.
Mission statement
Develop a client-rich application to manage Testo Saveris probes.
The application consists of two man-machine interfaces (MMI) installed on two different physical machines. The first HMI allows to prepare the interventions, to analyze the interventions undergone by the probes, to edit conformity/non-conformity certificates and to adjust non-conforming probes. The second HMI is used to launch calibration interventions and retrieve in real time the values measured by the probes.
Organization
For the realization of the project, 4 persons have been allocated :
- 1 Project manager, technical and functional manager
- 1 Software Architect
- 2 Development Engineers
This contract was executed entirely with Tana Corp resources dedicated to the project.
Main characteristics of the client
A global player in the field of in vitro diagnostics for over 40 years, BioMérieux offers diagnostic solutions (reagents, instruments and software) that determine the origin of a disease or contamination to improve patient health and ensure consumer safety.
BioMérieux’s distribution network is present in more than 150 countries. The company is listed on Euronext Paris with sales of more than one billion euros per year.
Conduct of the project
Advice and support role provided throughout the project
- A real force of accompaniment: The organization of the project gives a primordial importance to the quality of the accompaniment, to make the customer benefit from the expertise and the know-how capitalized by Tana Corp on its projects of the same type.
- Consulting strength : Our solid experience on management applications in the field of distribution and fixed-price projects has enabled us to provide the customer with the best market practices in this field. Moreover, Tana Corp is a force of proposal in the highlighting of functional options likely to bring a strong functional added value.
- Expertise on mobile application: A large part of the application being developed on mobile/embedded hardware, Tana Corp brought all its knowledge on the adaptation of the application ergonomics on a “small” screen in order to improve productivity.
Proposed methodology to validate the project steps from a client’s point of view
Proposed project reporting
A monthly steering committee enabled us to steer this long-term project in close collaboration with the client.
Tools chosen for the project management
Project Management: MS Project
Incident follow-up : BugX (based on Mantis) http://www.mantisbt.org/)
Version and configuration tracking: SubVersion (http://subversion.tigris.org/)
Solution features
Business processes covered by the solution
- Calibration intervention preparation
- Start calibration
- Analysis of calibration data
- Issue of certificates of conformity
- Adjustment of non-conforming probes
What were the most difficult features to implement?
Testo Saveris probes have a proprietary data port. Real-time access is done through a USB adapter and using a proprietary driver that has not been designed for multi-probe use or prolonged interactions (a calibration cycle takes about 24 hours).
Solution: We have developed a C# overlay that can interrogate up to 25 Saveris probes. The load tests were positive.
Technical platform elements
Software package, software or development languages used
After analysis of all the constraints, Tana Corp proposed the realization of a custom application, based entirely on a Microsoft :
-
Microsoft .Net Framework, langage C#
-
SQL Server 2005 Compact Edition
Reasons for the choice
- Microsoft .Net Framework with C# :
development platform allowing an excellent cost/delivery time/quality of implementation ratio. - SQLServer 2005 Compact Edition :
powerful in-process database engine, not requiring the installation of a server application
Share of pre-existing developments used on which the Supplier has capitalised to complete the project
- Testo Saveris Pilot
- The rest of the project was conducted entirely from scratch.
Challenges and key success factors
- Ergonomics: daily use of the application in a production context,
- Robustness: a calibration cycle takes more than 24 hours. It is important that the application can run 24 hours a day without human intervention.
- Validation/Qualification: the application meets the 21 CFR Part 11 requirements.
Business result
Today the application is in production and has enabled :
- Significantly reduce the calibration time per probe,
- Automatically issue 21 CFR Part 11 compliant calibration certificates
- Fitting new generation Ethernet probes Testo Saveris
