Cloud Chromatography Data System Boosts Global Efficiency

See how global consumer products company Amway is transforming its chromatography data management using new cloud technology

Fast moving consumer goods are big business. This is evidenced by the number of large multinational companies operating across the globe in everything from beauty and personal care products to nutrition and home care. These products contribute to our health and quality of life and require rigorous testing to meet quality assurance (QA) standards. Making sure that they contain what they say they contain, and that they do what they are supposed to do to reach the customer, requires the best analytical technology and the best data management software. Headquartered in Ada, Michigan, USA, Amway Corporation manufactures and distributes nutrition, beauty and home care products in more than 100 countries on six continents. Testing products and achieving QA compliance at multiple sites involves coordinating chromatography work and leveraging the latest technologies for remote management of chromatography data. Caryn Weiss is a Senior Research Scientist in Amway’s Innovation and Science division, which bridges the gap between scientists and IT. With over nine years of experience in the Chromatography Sciences group, she has helped Amway implement and use cloud technology to improve real-time data management.

The global challenge of product testing

Amway uses a variety of chromatographic methods to test its products, including reverse phase chromatography, normal phase LC, LC-MS and also GC. All of this generates a huge amount of data from all territories and different time zones. Amway’s adoption of one data management technology, in particular, has been transformative – the Waters Empower â„¢ cloud chromatography data system, which is quickly becoming a fixture among scientists in many disciplines. “Before using the cloud, we had local Empower â„¢ database servers located in different locations,” Weiss explains. “We couldn’t be sure that we were doing everything the same in all the different labs. “

With testing labs located all over the world, sharing data was a challenge, as Weiss attests: “If we wanted to speak with any of these labs, we had to ask them to back up their data and send the files, usually through a file share. because they were often too big for us to email them.
But that all changed when Amway began integrating Waters Empower â„¢ Cloud software into its global workflows.

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Amway uses a variety of chromatographic methods to test its products. All of this generates a huge amount of data from all territories and different time zones.

Transformative technology for scientists around the world

Weiss describes how the company set out to introduce cloud technology: “We wanted to consolidate all of our on-premises servers into one server. We first implemented the cloud in Ada, most of our challenges involved aligning the application’s functionality with our internal IT security standards, and then we started deploying it from there, ”she says. .

Amway then moved to its Buena Park facility, establishing a single US-based server that its Ada and Buena Park facilities both use. Weiss adds that “we use parallel workspaces so that we don’t have any problem with lagging performance in terms of geographic distance.”

Once Amway was comfortable with the setup, the implementation snowballed around the world. “Then we deployed a second server. After validating the US-based server, we took a snapshot of this validated system and implemented it in Singapore. Then we physically went to India and China to show them the system, ”Weiss explains.

And now it doesn’t matter where Amway scientists are. They can all access the servers for troubleshooting and method transfer between labs. “We can ask them to remotely connect to workspaces, work with us and see data easily and in real time,” Weiss adds.

This is one of the biggest advantages of cloud software. The workspaces are directly linked to the servers, so “it’s like you’re sitting right in front of the instrument,” she says. “There are no huge delays from a network point of view – you can extract and process your data. It’s all happening in the cloud, but it feels like it’s happening on your personal PC, which has been phenomenal.

Weiss also hints at significant cost savings, saying, “We have seen tremendous savings through the cloud-based model which has become the tipping point for our business. We were going to have to validate six individual servers, but instead we were able to validate one, take a copy, deploy it globally, and maintain it remotely. “

Accelerate in the cloud

Weiss praised Amway’s implementation journey with Waters, when she says, “It was a great relationship to solve any issues and they were there, step by step, to help us overcome them. As for what the future may hold for cloud technology in his industry, Weiss concludes, “I see cloud technology growing exponentially here in the near future, especially with the pandemic where everyone who can work from home work from home. Using cloud technology in partnership with Waters’ Empower app opened Amway’s eyes to the potential of putting other systems in the cloud and how it might work.

Find out how the Waters Empower â„¢ Chromatography Data System can help.

Read more interviews with scientists using the Waters Empower â„¢ Chromatography Data System