RTS Life Science, the company behind Smartstore, is being approached by organisations that had previously assumed that automation of their sample collections would not be cost effective
Smartstore was launched a year ago and is a fully automated, compact, multi-format, modular sample store.
According to Smartstore product manager Mike Pollard, "It is Smartstore's ability to store and cherry pick vials that is making all of the difference for those who, until now had relied on less than satisfactory manual freezers.
"Once samples are held within Smartstore, customers can retrieve vials quickly and easily without disturbing the storage environment of the other vials in the collection".
RTS recognises that original source samples are often stored in vials, and that these are often the most difficult to replace.
It is therefore even more important that their contents are not subject to the variable temperature and humidity conditions found in most freezers.
Owing to their varied sizes and shapes this often is their fate.
The RTS team embraced the challenge presented by the plethora of vial shapes and sizes used throughout the industry.
RTS is able to provide injection moulded racks to hold a particular client's vial collection.
In so doing, storage space within Smartstore is maximised.
Smartstore's inherent cherry picking capability and environmental control means that all samples are kept at the optimum storage conditions until they are needed.
At the same time, complete traceability and security is assured, something that can't be guaranteed with a manual system.
Mike Pollard concluded: "We like to think that we don't just maximise space and quality, we maximise time too.
"For example, our internal buffer allows customers to order samples in advance.
"These can be delivered to the internal buffer overnight ready for use at the beginning of the working day."
