Services Support Processing Innovation

Microfluidics introduces several new services in an effort to enhance customer success and assist in customer innovation. These new services build on Microfluidics' technology, and process and applications expertise, including hands-on work with formulations at the Microfluidics Technology Center, according to the company. The new services include:

• Process consulting.
• Customized in-house seminars.
• Customized in-house training.
• Preventive maintenance contracts.

Microfluidics Chief Technology Officer Mimi Panagiotou, amongst other technical staff members, plan to deliver process consulting, in addition to the customized seminars and training. In contrast, field service engineers provide the preventive maintenance.

Process Consulting

Microfluidics says that its process consulting services help its customers to develop and optimize processes for nanomaterial production, while scaling up from lab- to full-scale production. Examples of topics include:

• Assistance with formulation development and material characterization.
• Proof of concept for single formulations, addressing a variety of process parameters (shear rate, temperature, etc.) including hands-on lab work.
• Product optimization for multiple formulations, including hardware optimization and lab work.
• Scale-up, including hardware optimization on a large scale.
• Process intensification.

Customized In-House Seminars & Training

Microfluidics' technical staff members stay current on nanotechnology developments, plus an array of other technologies and applications, and use that expertise to deliver customized in-house seminars and training. Examples include:

• Customer-tailored seminars, covering all aspects of Microfluidizer technology and discussing its use in relation to the customer's unique needs, including hands-on training if requested.
• Briefings on specific applications or new technologies (catered to each customer) on topics like bio-pharma, energy chemicals, digital inks, etc.
• Overview seminars on nanotechnology, possibly composed of synthesis, processing, applications and more.

Preventive Maintenance Contracts

Microfluidics' preventive maintenance contracts provide customers with the ease of pre-arranging their annual preventive maintenance, through single- or multiple-year contracts, in order to ensure the longevity of their Microfluidizer processors. A field service engineer's preventive maintenance visit would involve:

• Processor inspection.
• The replacement of designated parts.
• A performance test.
• A written report of processor condition and recommendations.
• Brief training in various processor procedures.

Other Services

Further expanding the company's customer service portfolio, these new services supplement previous customer support, like providing qualified prospects with complimentary lab sample processing prior to purchase. Microfluidics also offers on-site demonstrations, regional seminars and rental options. After its customers invest in a Microfluidizer® processor, the company says it ensures ongoing use of theproduct via pharmaceutical-specific acceptance testing, startup and installation training, technical services, and access to a range of parts. "Because our customers' challenges and opportunities continue to evolve, we're expanding the ways in which we support their technical innovations and subsequent commercial success," notes Mary Anne North, Microfluidics Vice President of Customer Success. "Through these new services, we are helping our customers to understand and capitalize on new technologies, and to optimize their development and production processes."