Once fully operational, the laboratory will be used to analyse up to 2000 samples a day taken from water supplied to Vitens's four million domestic and industrial customers
Labman Automation has completed the shipment of what it calls a cutting-edge automated water testing laboratory which it has designed and manufactured on behalf of Vitens, the largest potable water supply company in the Netherlands.
A team of technicians from Labman Automation is now assisting in the installation and commissioning of this laboratory, which has cost around €2m (£1.3m) to design and build, at Vitens's new purpose-built facility located in Leeuwarden.
Completion is scheduled for early next year (2005).
Once fully operational, the laboratory will be used to analyse up to 2000 samples a day taken from water supplied to Vitens's four million domestic and industrial customers.
"We are delighted to have completed the design and build phase of the project on time and on budget", said Labman Automation's managing director, Andrew Whitwell.
"Our team is now fully focused on working together with the Vitens people to ensure that the lab is fully up and running at the earliest opportunity".
The automated laboratory will be used to detect and measure minute traces of contaminants that can affect the taste, clarity or hygiene of water.
This is currently undertaken by a number of different laboratories using manual systems.
"We have decided to invest in automated laboratory technology to give us the cheapest and fastest water analysis in the business", said Wouter van Delft, the project manager responsible for overseeing the venture on behalf of Vitens.
"We chose to award the contract to Labman Automation because of their readiness to invest in preliminary development work and their willingness to work with other project partners such as Kiestra, suppliers of the system's microbiological analysis equipment", added Wouter.
