When standard equipment meets a non-standard problem

The Challenge

Every automated laboratory workflow has a point where the standard offer runs out. A plate layout that does not match the default configuration. A picking protocol that reflects years of refined internal process. A requirement that sits just far enough outside the catalogue that the obvious answer — buy the standard system, does not work.

For Stijn Lambrecht, Senior Associate Scientist at Sanofi, that point arrived with colony picking. The lab needed a system capable of high throughput automated picking, but with two specific requirements built in. Regional picking, and the ability to pick control clones according to Sanofi's own plate layout. Neither was exotic. Both were precise. And the question was whether a supplier could accommodate them without the time and cost of commissioning a fully bespoke build.

It is the question that sits behind a great deal of lab automation procurement, though it is rarely asked directly. Can lab automation equipment be modified without a full custom build? For many suppliers, the honest answer is no. The standard system is the system. Adaptation means starting again.

That was not the answer Kbiosystems gave.

The Kbiosystems Moment

"The most satisfying projects for me are the ones where a scientist comes to us with something specific," says Dave, Technical Sales Engineer at Kbiosystems. "Not a vague requirement, but a real workflow, a real plate layout, a real process they have refined over time. Those conversations are where we do our best work."

He describes what the Sanofi engagement looked like from the inside. "The K8 is a strong platform. But what made the difference here was understanding exactly how Stijn's team worked and what they needed the system to do differently. Regional picking and control clone picking to their specific layout were not afterthoughts. They were the whole point. We engineered those requirements into the system before it arrived."

That ability to modify a standard product to a precise specification, without the lead time or cost of a ground-up build, is something Dave sees as central to what Kbiosystems offers. "A lot of clients assume they are choosing between what is in the catalogue and a full custom project. We can usually find a third path. A system that starts from something proven and arrives configured for how they actually work."

The result at Sanofi has been tangible. The K8 has freed up significant scientist time, returning skilled people to the complex analytical work that benefits most from their expertise. For a senior scientist at a pharmaceutical company, that is not an operational detail. It is a meaningful shift in how the lab functions.

Why It Matters

"The K8 colony picker from Kbiosystems is a perfect addition to our automated laboratory workflow with its robust design and high throughput capabilities. Customized for regional picking and to pick control clones in our specific plate layout, it has freed up significant scientist time for more complex tasks. When issues occasionally arise, Kbiosystems' response time is fast, minimizing any disruption to our work. The K8 has proven to be a reliable addition to our laboratory."

- Stijn Lambrecht, Senior Associate Scientist, Sanofi

There is a specific kind of confidence in that last sentence. Not enthusiasm, not surprise, but the settled assessment of someone who has run the system, seen it perform under real conditions, and integrated it into a workflow that matters. Reliable is a word that scientists use carefully.

What makes this story useful beyond Sanofi is the question it answers for any lab facing the same procurement decision. Modified off-the-shelf lab equipment, configured to a specific workflow, delivered and supported by a team that responds when it matters. That combination is rarer than it should be. At Kbiosystems, it is the standard offer.