Stannol: 80% less documentation effort with [FP]-LIMS
How a 142-year-old family business from Velbert digitized its quality control – with measurable results and a clear message: “Laboratories don’t produce products – they produce data.”
142 Years of Tradition in Soldering – Made in Velbert
STANNOL GmbH & Co. KG, based in Velbert, Germany, is an internationally active manufacturer of soldering products with currently around 100 employees. Founded in 1879 by craftsman Wilhelm Paff, the 142-year-old company today supplies manufacturers of electronic assemblies worldwide thanks to a strong sales network.
The diverse product portfolio includes solder wires, solder pastes, fluxes and solder bars – complemented by soldering equipment, measuring and testing systems, and soldering accessories. In addition to manufacturing, the owner-managed family company runs its own research and development department with a dedicated laboratory.
Since 2020, STANNOL has been relying centrally on [FP]-LIMS from Fink & Partner for company-wide quality control – fully integrated into the existing system landscape.
Tradition and Innovation – No Contradiction
Production at Stannol · Image: STANNOL GmbH & Co. KG
For Ingo Lomp, Head of Innovation at Stannol, many years of industry experience are not the only guarantee of success. The combination of experience with modern science and continuous development is what makes the difference.
Whether product improvement, sustainability, social responsibility or data management – the long-established company strives to progress on all levels to position itself for the long term.
Consistently high quality is already a given for Stannol’s customers. Five people in two laboratories ensure top product quality, while several quality inspectors regularly carry out random tests on the plant floor.
Our customers appreciate the consistency of our products. When people choose Stannol, it is because of the first-class quality. Many customers have been relying on our products for quite a few years – in some cases decades.
Professional Data Management as the Foundation of Digitization
For Ingo Lomp it quickly became clear that the next step in digitization had to start in the lab. The goal: digitize as many work steps as possible, replace isolated solutions like Excel or Access, and centralize all data.
Digitize Work Steps
Replace manual procedures with continuous, traceable digital workflows.
Replace Isolated Solutions
Excel, Access and lab notebooks make way for a central, searchable database.
Centralize All Data
Measurements from labs worldwide merge into one secure, server-based source of truth.
One thing should be clear: laboratories don’t produce products – they produce data. All the data the lab generates through its daily testing is extremely valuable to the company. Professional data management enables us to identify trends, get early warnings about risks or quality deviations, support customer service – and much more. In the long run, we benefit immensely.
80% Less Documentation Effort in the Laboratory
Roughly 18 months after going live, the results speak for themselves. Lab processes are now almost entirely automated, and staff benefit from a dramatic reduction in workload.
All Measurements in One Place – Audit Trail Included
Laboratory at Stannol · Image: STANNOL GmbH & Co. KG
Today, all measured values converge centrally in [FP]-LIMS – no matter which lab worldwide they come from. Data is managed centrally, securely and server-based. Decentralized storage is gone, and isolated tools such as Excel or lab books have been completely retired.
The audit trail function adds another layer of value: the complete history of every analysis can be reconstructed at any time. An authorized lab employee can manually adjust a measurement, but every change is tracked by the system and remains visible. Each manual change also requires a documented reason – otherwise the entire creation process would be difficult or impossible to retrace.
Equally valuable: the many interfaces. Almost all measuring devices are connected. Approved results are passed directly to the production control system – including all values, qualities and limit violations. Field sales staff also access customer samples centrally and can discuss results and trends directly with customers.
In my opinion, Fink & Partner’s [FP]-LIMS is unrivaled in terms of price-performance ratio. That, combined with the virtually endless possibilities of the LIMS software, is decisive for me.
What Has Changed Since 2020
Before LIMS
- Excel, Access and lab books as isolated tools
- Data decentralized and hard to retrieve
- High manual documentation effort
- No systematic trend detection
With [FP]-LIMS
- 80% less documentation effort
- All lab data centralized worldwide
- Full audit trail for every analysis
- Direct integration with production & sales
“Digitalization can no longer be stopped.”
Ingo Lomp, Head of Innovation · Image: STANNOL GmbH & Co. KG
His advice to other entrepreneurs facing the LIMS decision?
“Deal with topics like data management as early as possible. Because digitization can no longer be stopped. In the future, it will no longer be just about quality and price – but about quality, price, origin and innovation. The point is to create systems today that can sustain you long-term. Fink & Partner has been on the market with its LIMS for more than 30 years, combining experience and innovation. Price-performance is unrivaled. I look forward to taking further digitalization steps together.”
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