Case studies / Medical Devices and Diagnostics
Case studyInstalled-base service planning for a diagnostics maker
A diagnostics maker linked every analyser's serial history, service visits and complaints, moving from reactive call-outs to planned visits and closing complaint cases far faster.
Overview
A Nordic manufacturer of laboratory diagnostic analysers and reagents, with production in Sweden, a refurbishment centre in Germany and service teams in fourteen countries, selling to hospital and private laboratories.
Scale. An installed base of about 4,800 analysers in thirty countries, 120 field engineers and several thousand customer complaints and service requests a year, delivered as a phased, multi-location programme.
The challenge
Service visits were reactive. An analyser failed in a hospital laboratory, the customer called, and an engineer travelled out, often without the right part. Laboratories running urgent tests could not wait, and some kept a second instrument on standby purely because they did not trust the first.
Each country service team kept its own records. Serial numbers, installed software versions, parts fitted and visits made were held in different systems or spreadsheets, so nobody could see the full history of an analyser that had moved between owners or been refurbished. Lot traceability for reagents and spare parts was similarly fragmented.
Complaints followed a separate process run by quality and regulatory staff. When a customer reported a fault, investigators had to ask the service team for visit records by email, and cases stayed open for weeks. Regulators expect complaints to be investigated and trended promptly, and the backlog had been noted at a recent audit.
The solution
Every analyser has one record, from the production lot of its key components to each installation, visit, part fitted and software update. Records follow the instrument through refurbishment and change of owner, and engineers see the full history on a tablet before they arrive.
Service is planned across the installed base. Maintenance is scheduled by model, usage and age, and visits are grouped by region so engineers cover more customers with less travel. Parts are reserved in advance for planned visits, and lot numbers are recorded when they are fitted.
Complaints are linked to the analyser's serial history from the moment they are logged. Investigators see recent visits, parts and lots immediately, and can check whether the same lot appears in other complaints. Shared master data and group reporting give service, quality and leadership one view of the installed base.
The engagement
- Nine months
- Six specialists, with service, quality and regulatory leads and a group of field engineers
- Process mapping, lot and serial traceability, complaint handling, installed-base service planning, shared master data, pilot in one country and phased rollout.
Integrations
- Customer laboratory and hospital systems
- Production, laboratory and supply systems
- Customer and distributor service portals
- Secure identity and audit logging
How we delivered it
- 01
Map the work with the people who do it
Six weeks
We travelled with field engineers, sat with service planners and complaint investigators, and traced an analyser's life from production through installation, service and refurbishment. With service and quality leaders we agreed the scope and measures.
- 02
Design common processes and integrations
Twelve weeks
Field engineers helped design one service record: what to capture at each visit, from parts and lots used to software versions and readings. Planned maintenance intervals were set by model and usage. Complaint handling was linked directly to the serial and service history of the analyser concerned.
- 03
Pilot in one country
Eight weeks
Denmark went first. The pilot found analysers recorded twice under old and new serial formats, and visit forms that were too long to complete on site. Both were fixed with the engineers before training other countries.
- 04
Roll out in waves and track results
Twelve weeks
The remaining countries joined in three waves. Leadership reviewed downtime, planned-visit share and complaint closure monthly.
Results
- Planned visits reduced analyser downtime
- Complaints linked to service records and closed faster
- Full serial and lot history for every analyser
- Teams worked from the same data across countries
Planned visits reduced downtime. Most visits are now scheduled, engineers arrive with the right parts, and customers report noticeably fewer unexpected failures. Several large laboratories have stopped keeping standby instruments.
Complaint cases close much faster because investigators no longer wait for service records. Trends across lots and models are visible, and one recurring fault was traced to a single spare-part lot and corrected through a targeted field action rather than a broad recall.
Teams across fourteen countries work from the same data. Leadership reviews results monthly, and the regulatory team can show auditors a complete, linked record for any complaint.
Our engineers designed the visit record, so they actually fill it in. That record is what lets quality close complaints in days instead of weeks.
What made the difference
The client linked complaints to service records and closed cases faster. Involving the people who do the work early made adoption easier: field engineers shaped the service record they now complete at every visit.
