In today’s world, industries like pharmaceuticals, petrochemicals, environment, biotechnology, and food and beverage undergo various stages of testing to obtain product approval.
Therefore, contract lab services are available to conduct scientific research and testing for external clients. Multiple companies across the globe prefer to hire outsourcing laboratory services for testing samples for their life science businesses.
Sometimes, companies owning an in-house laboratory also require third-party contract laboratory services. They find it helpful to choose a trusted outside laboratory to fulfill the inaptitude of their in-house labs. They may require advanced technology, equipment, or testing expertise which their in-house lab lacks to test a new supplement. The contracts can be valid from a few weeks to many years based on the component and the client’s needs.
5 Advantages of Hiring a Contract Lab Service
Choosing a contract lab over in-house testing can offer you several advantages. A few of the advantages are explained below.
1. It Offers Advanced Testing Equipment
As technology advances, scientists are inventing advanced testing processes and machines. The adaptability of different equipment and technology can improve the work process in a laboratory. For example, advanced microbial testing equipment can significantly improve the workflow of laboratories by reducing testing duration. Also, testing samples with the latest technologies are less complex and more convenient than testing with traditional tools.
A professional contract laboratory includes the latest testing equipment. It can provide you with upgraded tools that will meet your needs.
2. It Offers Expertise
Finding employees with the required skills for your in-house laboratory is not an easy task. It requires recruiting and training them, which is expensive as well as time-consuming.
An authentic contract laboratory service can reduce this burden. There are expert staff who are well-trained with updated technologies and guidelines. They have gained expertise in handling various projects which makes it easy to understand the complexity of your requirements.
3. It Offers Reliable Results
A genuine contract lab conducts Good Laboratory Practice (GLP) that is inspected by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). It assures the efficiency of the lab and the authenticity of its test results.
In such a lab, experiences of working on various projects help the employees smoothly carry out different testing processes, like cell-based assay, immunoassay, protein test, MLR, and more. Therefore, they can easily eliminate most complexities and confusion, which can lead to bottlenecking the project.
There are various kinds of testing kits available in the market. One may think of using those kits for testing rather than reaching out to any contract lab services. In that case, you must know that these testing tools have some conditions and limitations. They are manufactured for certain applications. Hence, these tools can never be as efficient as a whole lab.
4. It’s Cost Effective
When you do not need to invest in testing equipment, it saves you a lot of money. When a company runs an in-house laboratory, there are several more expenses, like insurance liability, maintenance, calibration, etc.
In an in-house laboratory, you need to train your employees or staff and look after the payroll. Hiring a contract laboratory service can save the expenses of providing your staff with benefits, like paid leave, 401k plan, insurance, etc.
Hiring a contract lab service can be cost-effective since it can reduce all these additional expenditures.
5. It’s Unbiased
In in-house laboratories, the researchers are closely associated with projects that can lead to biased testing results.
Contract laboratories are not forced to produce any particular results. They are independent and unbiased to their clients. These labs are authorized to provide their clients with unaltered results and have nothing to gain from the outcome of a test.
Things to Do While Working with a Contract Lab Service
Besides finding a genuine outsourcing lab, you should also maintain a good relationship with it. Consider following the instructions below to avoid any complications in the future.
- Before hiring a particular lab, learn well about it. Ask them more about their employees, services, which tools and technologies they use, etc., so that these factors do not end up disappointing you later.
- You can view their facilities, like where they conduct the tests and how they receive, store, and deliver samples.
- You can meet their quality checking team to get assurance about their testing operation and quality.
- Keep your communication lines with your contract lab open.
- Opt for a detailed technical agreement outlining the methodology, required turnaround times, and analyzing procedures for specific products. Also, make sure to have an agreement ensuring the security and protection of all your data.
The Bottom Line
In this fast-paced competitive world, industries such as pharmaceuticals, petrochemicals, environment, biotechnology, and food and beverage need to keep themselves efficient. They need to speed up their product approval process and that’s where the contract lab comes into the picture. A contract laboratory has advanced testing tools and experienced professionals.
Additionally, they are committed to good laboratory practices which ensures reliable and accurate test results. Hope the above points justified the reasons to go with a Contract Laboratory Service. At present, several companies with in-house laboratories across the globe consider outsourcing lab services cost-effective and much more efficient.
