In the first edition for 2021, the French magazine dedicated to Laboratory sector has published an article about the integration of the LABGUARD® 3D devices for environmental conditions monitoring in JRI-MySirius.
It deals with the worldwide deployment of the Labguard installations and mentions the trust relationship between bioMérieux and JRI teams, since many years.
JRI integrates the Labguard 3D devices for environmental conditions monitoring in the JRI-MySirius solution
JRI, French manufacturer with an experience of 175 years in metrology and internationally recognized for its monitoring solutions, starts 2021 with a great dynamic. In the top news : the worldwide partnership concluded with bioMérieux for ensuring the furniture and support of the Labguard range whose marketing will be stopped in the end of 2022.
This agreement is for JRI a true recognition of the quality of its services and IT expertise, and for the users, the guarantee to be able to maintain their monitoring process by taking advantage of the JRI related services and know-how for the evolution of their equipments.
From the 1st quarter 2021, JRI will offer the compatibility of the JRI MySirius monitoring solution with the Labguard range.
Explanation by Eric Cartalas, Deputy Managing Director of JRI…
The LABGUARD range : more than 80.000 probes deployed through 3.000 customers over the world
Labguard offers a wide range of solutions – devices but also software and services – for monitoring in real time and continously environmental conditions as temperature, humidity, CO2, delta pressure and other physical parameters…
« The Labguard range has been developed and marketed at the middle of 90’s by the AES Cheminex company », explains Eric Cartalas. « The bioMérieux group entered it in catalog in 2011 when acquiring this company ».
With the support of the international distribution network and subsidiaries of the bioMérieux group, LABGUARD® solutions have been installed around the world to meet the metrological expectations of many sectors : laboratories and production areas of the pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries, medical and veterinary laboratories, hospitals or even environmental control laboratories…
More than 80.000 Labguard probes – included the last Labguard 3D version – are now used by nearly 3.000 customers over the world.
« Theses devices require an important development activity and technical support, in particular in terms of software and electronic evolution », add Mr Cartalas.
However, clinical diagnosis and industrial microbiology control are the core business of bioMérieux. « We concentrate our R&D efforts in these areas to better serve our customers », explained Lionel POIBLANC, bioMérieux Senior Business Manager, in a press release last November.
It is in this context that the Group decided to cease marketing of its LABGUARD® range by the end of 2022 and to provide customer service until the end of 2023.
It has selected from among the main market players two companies capable of guaranteeing the continuity of LABGUARD®. « As a specialist in physical parameter monitoring solutions, JRI is one of solutions of choice to enable our customers to continue using their installation over the long term » added Mr POIBLANC.
JRI, a historic actor of metrology !
Founded in 1845, JRI is one of the leading European manufacturers of innovative technological solutions for monitoring temperature, humidity and others physical parameters. Based in Bezons (95) in the Paris region, the company also has a technical site in Fesches-le-Châtel (25) in the East of France where its production, R&D, logistics and hotline service units, and service units are gathered. A subsidiary dedicated to the pharmaceutical service in Rungis (94). « JRI employs more than 120 people nationwide. All our products and their components, such as circuit boards, are manufactured and assembled in France », explains Eric CARTALAS.
« Since 15 years, the company has greatly developed its international presence, notably through the creation of subsidiaries in the United States and Asia, and the constitution of the large network of qualified partner distributors. They work in permanent contact wih JRI’s technical teams and offer a local service for the vast majority of LabGuard customers around the world ».
More than 10 000 user sites for JRI solutions are referenced worlwide today, with nearly 50 000 probes marketed each year, in particular within the pharmaeutical and food industries and the health care market.
Simultaneously with the design, the manufacture and the marketing of its monitoring and traceability systems for environmental parameters, JRI is also recognized worlwide for its wide range of mapping, qualification, COFRAC metrology and consulting services.
« Metrology is our core business », recalls Eric CARTALAS. « Our solutions are part of a recognized quality approach (COFRAC accreditations, HACCP, BPH, GBEA…) and benefit from very active R&D, which often positions us as a pioneer, always ahead of technological innovation. As an example, for more than ten years JRI has been developing solutions in Cloud mode… »
bioMérieux – JRI : a long-standing relationship of trust… The bases of a close collaboration to guarantee the sustainability of the existing LABGUARD® installations
bioMérieux and JRI are known well, having already worked together. « Some bioMérieux subsidiaries have distribued JRI probes », recalls Eric CARTALAS. « When bioMérieux acquired AES Chemunex, our range became competing. Our collaboration then naturally ended and the bioMérieux group positioned itself on the metrology market with LABGUARD® solutions ».
Today referenced to ensure the continuity of the supply of LABGUARD® 3D solutions as well as their support, their maintenance in condition operational, than their development, JRI has undertaken in close collaboration with the bioMérieux teams to implement a gradual transition strategy. Marketing of the LABGUARD® range will cease at the end of 2022 ; customer service will be provided until the end of 2023 by bioMérieux.
At JRI, a dedicated team was immediately set up within the design office to work on technology transfer and the compatibility of LABGUARD® systems with the JRI MySirius solution. Significant resources have also been deployed within the international network of JRI distributors in order to enable users of LABGUARD® solutions to prepare the development of their installations from the outset.
« A taskforce, bringing together technical specialists and enhanced hotline support, was created within the Company to facilitate the transfert of skills between bioMérieux and the JRI teams, but also with our export partners, metrology companies and installers », adds Mr CARTALAS. « Referent coordinators have been set up in each country to provide the best possible support for users of LABGUARD® solutions ».
Thanks to JRI, users of LABGUARD® 3D equipment will be able to maintain their activities and upgrade their facilities to monitor environmental parameters without major consequences for the existing organization. Pascal VERMEERSCH, President of MMS – JRI – CIET, adds : « We are proud to take over from the LABGUARD® teams with whom we have developed a long-standing relationship of trust, to provide their historical users with solutions for the future of their monitoring of temperature. The professionalism of our respective technical teams and the enthusiam of JRI’s technical-sales teams make us very confident in providing theses users with solutions with a high level of quality ».
An opportunity for associated services and hardware and software upgrades
JRI’s size and financial strength allow us to have the necessary resources to ensure the sustainability of the existing LABGUARD® solutions and also to meet associated services (COFRAC metrology services) and upgradability of hardware and software solutions.
« Many customers who use LABGUARD® solutions carry out their metrological control internally », remarks Mr CARTALAS. « JRI therefore offers two types of services : metrological services for the probe calibration, and the providing of high-performance tools which allow users to carry out their own metrology ».
Real development perspectives are also opening up for the LABGUARD® range, thanks to the recent launch of the JRI MySirius solution benefiting from the latest IoT, long-range and wireless communication technologies, with sensors adapted to each use (Nano SPY, LoRa® SPY and Naocom). « In addition to maintaining the current solution, explains Eric CARTALAS, JRI is able to offer users who so wish, step-by-step development while preserving compatibility with existing equipment, eventually possibility of mixing the existing with new technology recorders in fleet extensions, responding to new use cases, such as mobility, and deploying solutions in secure SaaS/Cloud mode multi-sites… ».
The integration of the LABGUARD® range into the JRI MySirius solution is planned gradually during the first quarter of 2021. « But even before proceeding with the complete migration of the LABGUARD® solutions on our JRI MySirius platform, we are offering all interested users the opportunity to integrate some JRI probes into their fleet now, in order to familiarize themselves with our solution, to test it in their environment and their process », concludes Eric CARTALAS.
Written by Solenne Denis, published in La Gazette du Laboratoire Nr 271 January 2021 and translated by JRI.
