Inpeco

IoT in the Clinical Laboratory: Automation for Health gets even smarter

Inpeco, a leading company in healthcare automation solutions, has chosen a Cisco network infrastructure and the consultancy of VEM Sistemi to implement an innovative project following an IoT strategy.

The company

Inpeco operates in the design and production of solutions to automate processes within Clinical Laboratories, adopting an innovative approach to the management of biological samples—from patient identification to proper sample preparation, from the arrival of the test tube in the lab to the delivery of results. The absence of human intervention allows healthcare facilities to minimize errors and ensure complete traceability throughout the entire process. Inpeco’s R&D activities also extend to Pathological Anatomy and all processes in which the patient is both the starting and ending point, from the analysis prescription to result delivery.

The company currently employs around 500 people across its main headquarters in Lugano, a branch in Verona, a research hub for advanced software in Pula (CA), and the plant in Val della Torre (TO), which handles production, engineering, and part of R&D. International sales offices are located in Belgium and the United States. Inpeco distributes its Total Laboratory Automation (TLA) systems mainly through two global partners.

The Challenge
Among the roles of Inpeco’s ICT division is also the design and operational management of the IT components of automation systems and supporting infrastructures.
“As part of Inpeco’s ongoing innovation strategy, we recently developed a project for remote monitoring of automation systems installed at our clients’ sites,” explains Francesco Ciuccarelli, Group ICT Director at Inpeco. “Equipping our systems with network connection devices allows us to anticipate possible anomalies, enabling corrective actions remotely or on-site. Moreover, this functionality lets us capitalize on the large volume of data generated during operations.”

To meet these needs, Inpeco turned to VEM Sistemi to set up an infrastructure capable of connecting both existing and future automated systems with a single operations center located at headquarters, using a modern Internet of Things (IoT) approach—where objects gain intelligence by sharing data about themselves and accessing data from other network-connected elements.

Visibility into machine status and data analysis enables the development of maintenance and support services for remote interventions, and especially for monitoring the automation systems to preempt critical conditions.
“In a scenario where everything is networked, it became increasingly urgent to also connect the systems we sell globally,” emphasizes Paolo Sestini, ICT Solution Architect.
“The data flow from our automation systems allows us to improve the automation itself and identify components most at risk of failure.”

The Solution
“To meet Inpeco’s needs, we deployed the best Cisco technology to design a reliable and secure IoT architecture that enables Inpeco to improve post-sales services and develop new business models,” states Silla Rizzoli, Technical Area Manager at VEM Sistemi and designer of the solution.

The required infrastructure needed to guarantee reliability, scalability, and above all, a high level of security.
“This type of service does not involve patient data,” adds Sestini, “only information about the automation usage and the behavior of its components.”
Nevertheless, the proximity to sensitive data demanded compliance with strict industry security standards.

The most suitable solution turned out to be a DMVPN (Dynamic Multipoint VPN) network based on Cisco industrial routers integrated into the automation systems, now allowing Inpeco to remotely access and easily connect every machine installed at customer sites.

“Before this major IoT-oriented project, we could only partially transmit data from our automation systems,” says Sestini.
“We were already able to access some systems, but only through infrastructures provided by our clients.”
Inpeco had to adapt to different solutions for each system, creating issues with management, scalability, and security.

“With Cisco technology provided by VEM, we quickly saw the opportunity for a centralized, unified architecture capable of offering transparent, secure connectivity—easy for our clients to understand.”
Only with such a robust and protected infrastructure is it possible to meet the needs of healthcare providers and Inpeco’s global partners, Abbott and Siemens, who integrate Inpeco’s automation solutions.

The Results
The most immediate benefits of this Remote Managed Service solution include faster problem resolution, lower travel costs for on-site support, and the ability to detect anomalies proactively through machine status monitoring and data analysis.
Numerous activities benefit from a centralized monitoring system:
“Inpeco, for example, can now deliver software updates from a single secure central repository instead of using sources or media that pose security risks,” explains Rizzoli.
“The new architecture also enables traceability of machine operations and customizable access privileges based on user expertise.”

The strategic value of the initiative lies in having equipped automation systems with real-time data collection and transmission features, capable of supporting a business model based on IoT and Cisco solutions delivered by VEM—a model in which even end users can participate.
“Our clients will be able to access Business Intelligence and Big Data services related to lab workflows, test tube turnaround times, or other performance metrics of the automation,” says Sestini.
“At the same time, analyzing data from our machines will help us study relationships between different automations and correlate events across labs to provide consultancy services.”

Finally, Inpeco acknowledges the value of having chosen a capable partner like VEM Sistemi.
“We found an extremely competent organization—without them, completing such a complex project would have been difficult,” concludes Ciuccarelli.
“We appreciated their ability to look beyond simply selling technology, helping us anticipate problems with ready-to-deploy solutions.”