Franek Technologies and the University of Nevada Biotechnology Center presented the results of an in-depth ROI analysis at the 58th annual meeting of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences (AAFS)
Franek Technologies and the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) Biotechnology Center presented the results of an in-depth ROI analysis at the 58th annual meeting of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences (AAFS).
Studying three critical forensic science and DNA analysis instruments from Applied Biosystems (ABI), the study showed that the instrumentation-grade power protection provided by Franek Technologies yielded a cost savings of over $243,000 for a single significant outage (complete loss of power with transients) and an accelerated pay-back ROI of 8.4:1 (benefit: cost), paying for itself in just 45 days.
These results are relevant for all laboratories running sensitive instrumentation, especially since power interruptions and disturbances cost US industry over $119 billion a year.
The case study measured and considered electrical power as a critical performance element and analyzed the economic impact of unstable electrical power delivery to vital instrumentation within the UNLV Biotechnology Center Forensic DNA Profiling Training Service Laboratory and Service Business on the Shadow Lane Campus.
The instrumentation studied included an ABI Prism 7000 sequence detection system used in DNA analysis; an ABI 3100 Avant genetic analyser used in separation and analysis of short tandem repeat DNA fragments; and an ABI GeneAmp 9700 PCR.
All instruments are used in UNLV's comprehensive DNA fingerprinting and profiling program for future criminal scientists.
Considering costs associated with problem identification, troubleshooting, recalibration, lost productive time, damage to the instrumentation, and lost revenue as a result of downtime, the study found a cost savings of over $243,000 for a single significant outage with the installation of Franek Technologies' certified power protection systems.
Also significant was the finding that the ROI for the installed power protection systems was 8.4:1 (benefit: cost), meaning that the investment paid for itself in only 45 days.
UNLV has experienced power disruptions to its other laboratories, but the DNA programme has been immune to spurious power interrupts since the program was first launched in 2003.
The results of this study provided further evidence and substantiation for the Biotechnology Center that installing the proper protection was required to ensure the quality of power for the laboratory and its significant investment in highly sensitive instrumentation.
"Laboratories no longer have to rely on hypothetical scenarios or guess work to justify the need for initial and additional laboratory power protection," states Walter Goldstein, coordinator of the Biotechnology Center, Shadow Lane Campus, University of Nevada Las Vegas.
"This case study puts real numbers to the economic impact of the inherent instability of laboratory power that is so prevalent today.
"The results show that laboratories operating sensitive instrumentation need to budget for certified laboratory power protection to protect their bottom line."
