ACD/Labs Announces the Release of ACD/ChemAnalytical Workbook

ACD/Labs, a leading chemistry software company that develops and commercializes enterprise and desktop solutions to support R&D efforts, and preserve and re-use legacy chemical and analytical knowledge, today announced the commercial availability of ACD/ChemAnalytical Workbook. This new software application on the ACD/Spectrus Platform provides an all-in-one experiment, workflow, and data management tool for scientists that use multiple analytical techniques in a problem-solving capacity, in industries including coatings, lubricants, fragrances, forensics, petrochemicals, food, and formulated healthcare products.

“ChemAnalytical Workbook was developed as a direct response to customers unable to find what they needed in existing informatics systems such as LIMS and ELNs”—Michael Boruta (Industry Solutions Manager, ACD/Labs). “Scientists use analytical data to make key decisions about problems in a plant, in the identification of ingredients, deformulation, and much more. ChemAnalytical Workbook links analytical chemistry information with the sample or experiment so that it can be reviewed and re-interrogated to help get answers quickly. Ultimately, faster decision-making will improve productivity and profitability for our customers.”

ACD/Labs has a history of innovation in this area. In 2009, the company helped Seven Scent Ltd., a manufacturer and supplier of customized fragrances replace an unreliable and non-traceable laboratory informatics management system (LIMS) with an automated quality management system. “ACD/Labs’ solution differs from the conventional LIMS in that it has the ability to store, search, and display analytical spectra as well as a full range of chemical and analytical results and metadata,” explains Alistair Wilding (Head of Technical Services, Seven Scent Ltd.). The system, which might be described as an Analytical LIMS, has successfully been in use for over three years.

“Since implementing the ACD/Labs solution we have realized a time savings of over 30% in the manufacturing process,” says Wilding. “The system is tied to our production schedule and integrated with our ERP [enterprise resource planning] system, so reliability was a key factor for us. With dependable software and responsive after-sales support we have been able to implement and maintain a robust and auditable quality management system.”

ACD/ChemAnalytical Workbook delivers much of the functionality of the Seven Scent system in a commercial off-the-shelf product, with automation and customization available to address existing workflows, tracking procedures, and integration with existing informatics systems.

For scientists working with formulated products and complex mixtures, ACD/ChemAnalytical Workbook enables accelerated decision-making, effortless reporting and knowledge transfer through the storage, searching, and re-use of live spectral and chromatographic data with interpretation knowledge. As part of unified laboratory intelligence (ULI), ChemAnalytical Workbook provides a homogeneous environment for processing and interpreting multi-technique analytical data (LC/MS, GC/MS, UV, Raman, NMR, and more). Integration with ELNs, archives, and LIMS will enhance the existing cheminformatics landscape, providing organizations increased return on their investments.