General Questions
ILS was started back in 2000 by three partners who worked together in the “Expert System Software” industry. Since then, we have done a lot of work in process automation in the biopharma and other related industries. Our last 10 years have led us to become specialists in process control software and hardware for the biopharma industry.
We have four lines of business:
- Software development for the oil and gas industry
- Hardware controls for bioreactors (both benchtop and large stainless units)
- Recipe/management software for bioreactor controllers
- SCADA software integration using Ignition from Inductive Automation®
ILS has a strong customer base in the biopharma sector and in the oil and gas industry. Most of our newer business is focused around fermentation and cell culture. Our customers understand the competitors’ products and want some level of customization or a higher level of control than is available with off-the-shelf solutions. This typically means larger companies that need to take their development to the next level or start-ups that are trying to do something different and require better tools.
Our customers are mostly in North America, although we do have some customers in Europe. We are a small organization that has a reputation for outstanding customer support. We only take projects where we are certain we can maintain our standards of service.
Software
First off, ILS assumes responsibility for the installation and integration. We set up communications between your existing controllers and our software. This is our area of expertise, and not something you want to manage while trying to do your real job.
Then we support you like you are you not used to in this industry. We can even remotely log into our software to make changes if you are having a problem.
ILS decided from the beginning to use a commercially available SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) package as the foundation for our data communications. Ignition®, from Inductive Automation, has thousands of installations in mission-critical facilities; running power plants, oils rigs, hospitals, water plants, and more. They provide a highly supported, rugged and reliable software backbone. Batch Expert+ is built as an application on top of that backbone. This allows ILS to focus on bioreactor controls and management, reporting, and all of the functions that are important to the end user, knowing device communications are supported by a company specializing in supervisory control.
So far, we have not found a system that we can’t communicate with. We have many customers running systems with a serial communications port, like older Sartorius, New Brunswick™, and Eppendorf systems. We also communicate through Modbus and EtherCAT. We have customers connected to quite a variety of controllers and devices like DASGIP®, ambr®, BioFlo®, BIOSTAT®, multiple Mass Spec systems, and BlueSens. If the protocols for your device are not in our library, we can create a new protocol by modifying an existing device or creating a new one from scratch.
A Batch Expert+ license is a purchase of Batch Expert+ from ILS and Ignition (from Inductive Automation). The license fee is based on the number of individual devices under control. The entry license works on up to four controllers, with each additional controller requiring an additional license fee. A license for 20 controllers is deemed a site license and no further additional license fee is required, regardless of the number of additional controllers. A site is typically a single lab or location. The annual software support cost is then 15% of the software price. Software support fee includes software upgrades to both BE+ and Ignition.
Each lab is different, but the initial software install can typically be done remotely before we come on-site. The initial install would include Ignition, Batch Expert+, and the database software. If the lab has a single type of controller, like all BioFlo 310s, we can typically establish full communications with the first unit in two days and then set up each additional unit at a rate of two or three per day. This is just an example. No two installations are ever the same and each controller has its own communication protocols and quirks.
It can and is, but it depends upon that environment. Batch Expert+ is specifically designed to be flexible, meaning easy to change. It is intended to be used as a software tool for benchtop to pilot scale, where your lab wants the ability to make a large number of runs with variations to the recipes. If your production requires GMP validation, there are other tools specifically designed for that space.
Hardware & Controllers
We use only commercially available, industrial quality components. These parts rarely fail, but if any do, they can be purchased locally and are customer serviceable. No proprietary or custom parts inside or out. In addition, ILS provides all the documentation and software you need to maintain our controllers indefinitely. We provide outstanding support (ask any of our customers), but should we get hit by a bus, you can still maintain our systems.
We can customize any part of the system including sensors, external pumps, interfaces, menus, and more. We offer the most intuitive, user-focused, full-featured, reliable system you can find.
Absolutely. Unless something has gone very wrong, stainless systems last forever, but the controllers do not. Suppliers want to sell you a new tank & controller for many times the cost of our custom quality replacement controller. Alternatively, you can find a local automation company to design and build a replacement panel, but unless they specialize in fermentation and cell culture, their programming will be very basic. We specialize in these types of systems and have spent hundreds of hours fine-tuning our control algorithms and strategies. Our AFC 2000 system is specifically designed to replace the controls on a stainless bioreactor.
ILS specializes in the design and programming of bioreactor controllers, this is what we do every day. We have 10+ years of experience with the issues involved in the fermentation/cell culture processes and we know how to avoid the pitfalls. We don’t just listen, we advise our customers and help them develop a system that meets their specific needs above and beyond off-the-shelf solutions.
And while any automation shop can design the hardware, the real value is in the software. By observing countless fermentation, cell culture, anaerobic, and gas-phase processes, we have continually improved our control software. We understand how to automate your SIP/CIP process. We understand the different feed and control strategies, cascades, ramps, and other close loop controls. We know how to integrate external pumps, scales, Mass Spec, and other tools that makes your process unique. And because we have done this so many times, the installation and start-up is significantly shorter than a generic control system.
Yes, that is the primary intent of our AFC 900 series. We provide single and dual controllers to work with any size glass vessel. We have a separate water box that can provide temperature control to a jacketed reactor. We can customize the box for the sensors you use and want to use. We provide a “snout” that will link our agitator motor to your vessel’s impeller shaft. However, if you want to purchase new glass, we can help.
Out of the box, our benchtop controllers are designed to support an RTD (that we provide), Mettler Toledo ISM® and analog probes, Hamilton® digital and analog probes, and Broadley-James® probes. We are capable of integrating most other technologies and do so as needed. The same technology is built into our control panels for stainless systems.
Ignition is a registered trademark of Inductive Automation. Inductive Automation is a registered trademark of Inductive Automation. New Brunswick, DASGIP, and BioFlo are trademarks of Eppendorf AG. ambr and BIOSTAT are registered trademarks of Sartorius AG. Hamilton is a registered trademark of Hamilton Company. Broadley-James is a registered trademark of Broadley-James Corporation.