Siemens Launches Next Generation Automation Solution 'Aptio' at AACC 2012

LOS ANGELES, July 18, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics (NYSE: SI) launched Aptio™ Automation(1), the company's next generation laboratory automation platform, at the 2012 AACC and ASCLS Annual Meetings and Clinical Lab Expo in Los Angeles, July 15 – 19 (Booth #1701). Aptio Automation promises to transform laboratory operations by combining Siemens' industry-leading workflow expertise with peak performance, adaptability and intelligent technology.

(Logo:  http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20070904/SIEMENSLOGO )

Increasingly, clinical laboratories are turning to automation to help them meet the growing demand for in vitro diagnostic testing in the face of a shrinking labor force. And, these trends are only expected to continue, as approximately 17 percent of laboratory professionals are anticipated to retire in the next five years.(2) By 2014, it's estimated that the United States alone will need 81,000 additional medical technologists and technicians to replace retiring staff, plus 68,000 more to fill newly created positions.(3)  Aptio Automation is an adaptable solution that allows for a phased implementation to accommodate both current and future needs of medium- to very high-volume laboratories.

William Bartlett, Ph.D., Joint Clinical Director of Diagnostics at the UK's NHS Tayside, one of the first laboratories to deploy Aptio Automation, said: "We chose Aptio Automation because it can handle increasing workloads while enabling us to use our staff better. We expect that the implementation of this new platform will allow us to provide a state-of-the-art service that aligns the lab function with Tayside's overall goals for organizational sustainability and improved patient outcomes."

With every laboratory configured differently and floor space at a premium, Aptio Automation's circular track and modular design ensure it can adapt to nearly any lab or testing environment. It also offers connectivity to Siemens' portfolio of automation-ready analyzers, thus facilitating a multidisciplinary approach to testing. Further, Aptio Automation's point-in-space aspiration feature helps streamline workflow by reducing the need to aliquot (or divide) samples, and its puck-based system with RFID enables individual sample routing and tracking, along with STAT prioritization.

Additionally, Aptio Automation delivers comprehensive analytics via powerful, centralized information technology, while having the flexibility to provide pre- and post-analytical capabilities. Siemens' CentraLink™ Data Management System facilitates efficient sample flow, auto-verification, quick access to samples and proactive quality control (QC). Plus, the CentraLink System can be customized per end user, speeding up system access and supporting error reduction. 

"Siemens is acutely aware of how our customers' needs have evolved in the face of continuously increasing cost pressures and growing test demand," said Dave Hickey, CEO, Chemistry, Immunoassay, Automation and Diagnostics IT Business Unit, Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics. "Aptio Automation represents our latest innovation and vision for how we can help laboratories keep pace in this challenging environment and address their most pressing business and clinical demands."

Aptio Automation is a demonstration of Siemens' commitment to innovative leadership, one of the goals of the recently launched Siemens Agenda 2013 program. For more information about Aptio Automation and Siemens at the 2012 AACC and ASCLS Annual Meetings and Clinical Lab Expo, please visit: www.siemens.com/AACC.

(1) Not all product offerings are available in all countries.
(2) American Society for Clinical Pathology's 2011 Vacancy Survey of U.S. Clinical Laboratories. Medscape Today News. www.medscape.com
(3) Lab Industry Strategic Outlook: Market Trends & Analysis 2009. www.g2reports.com

Launched in November 2011, Agenda 2013 is a global initiative to further strengthen the innovative power and competitiveness of the Siemens Healthcare Sector. Specific measures will be implemented in four fields of action: Innovation, Competitiveness, Regional Footprint, and People Development.

The Siemens Healthcare Sector is one of the world's largest suppliers to the healthcare industry and a trendsetter in medical imaging, laboratory diagnostics, medical information technology and hearing aids. Siemens offers its customers products and solutions for the entire range of patient care from a single source – from prevention and early detection to diagnosis, and on to treatment and aftercare. By optimizing clinical workflows for the most common diseases, Siemens also makes healthcare faster, better and more cost-effective. Siemens Healthcare employs some 51,000 employees worldwide and operates around the world. In fiscal year 2011 (to September 30), the Sector posted revenue of 12.5 billion euros and profit of around 1.3 billion euros. For further information please visit: www.siemens.com/healthcare.

SOURCE Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics