Why [FP]-LIMS – which industrial laboratories it is the right choice for, and which it is not

Why there is no clear LIMS market leader

Search for the term “LIMS market leader” and you will find half a dozen vendors claiming the title. What does that tell you? Above all one thing: the market is too fragmented to allow a single number one.

Three reasons stand behind this:

1. 1
   Very different industry requirements A LIMS for a pharmaceutical research laboratory has to comply with FDA 21 CFR Part 11 and handle complex sample chains. A LIMS for a foundry has to integrate spark optical emission spectrometers into melt control and deliver values within seconds. The two worlds barely overlap – a one-size-fits-all LIMS would be a compromise that serves no one well.
2. 2
   Individual customer workflows Every laboratory has its own test plans, instrument combinations, ERP integrations and report formats. A standard solution has to be configurable – but configuration costs effort. Vendors with an industry focus have a structural advantage here.
3. 3
   Variety of vendors Global corporations with broad LIMS portfolios, mid-sized specialists, niche vendors for individual industries. The challenge for the buyer is not to find “the market leader” – but to find the vendor that fits their own industry.

For that reason, we put it plainly: We are not “the” LIMS market leader. But in our key industries, we are among the leading solutions.

Our verifiable strengths

Instead of marketing adjectives, the substance we can put on the table:

Industries where [FP]-LIMS is among the leading solutions

Four key industries in which we have built substance over many years. In all four you will find well-known customers with a long history of use:

The shared DNA of these industries: industrial laboratories with a high testing volume, shift operations, clear audit requirements and close integration with production. That is the home ground on which we have grown for more than three decades.

When another vendor is a better fit

Honesty serves both sides. There are scenarios in which [FP]-LIMS is not the best choice – and we say so openly:

• Pharmaceutical research laboratories with FDA 21 CFR Part 11 obligations – this is a highly specialised regulatory field. Vendors such as LabWare, STARLIMS or LabVantage have been serving it for years. We do not have a focus in this segment.
• Clinical laboratories and medical diagnostics – clinical LIMS have their own requirements (HL7, LOINC, IVD specifications). Specialised vendors are at home here.
• IATF 16949-certified turnkey solutions for automotive – APQP and PPAP modules are not a focus of [FP]-LIMS. We position ourselves as a LIMS for quality laboratories in the automotive supplier industry with traceability, audit trail, SPC and SAP® QM integration – not as an IATF 16949 turnkey system.
• GMP-regulated production environments – validation scope and documentation depth are so specific here that specialised vendors are the better choice.
• A pure cloud-first strategy without an on-premises option – if you are looking for a “SaaS-only” LIMS, we are not the natural candidate. [FP]-LIMS runs on-premises, in the cloud or hybrid – which fits industrial customers with clear data protection requirements best.

If your requirements fall into any of these categories, an initial conversation with us still makes sense – sometimes there are ways forward. But we do not raise false hopes.

Concrete arguments in comparison

If you are evaluating [FP]-LIMS against other solutions, it is worth looking at five differentiation axes:

1. 1
   Specialisation instead of a broad-spectrum solution We are not a “LIMS for everyone”. We focus on industrial laboratories in metal, chemicals and automotive. That means: instrument interfaces, workflows and report formats that fit those industries precisely – without superfluous pharma or clinical features that would show up in your budget.
2. 2
   Modular & scalable Three editions (Light, Standard, Professional), more than ten modules. You pay for what you use. Upgrades are possible at any time – the original investment is not lost.
3. 3
   Longevity as an economic argument At Siempelkamp Foundry, [FP]-LIMS has been running since 1992. At Buderus Guss for over 20 years. Set things up cleanly once and you have a solution that lasts for decades – no reinvestment every five years.
4. 4
   Industry-specific user interface Shift supervisors, laboratory technicians, operators at the spectrometer – not pharmaceutical scientists. The UI is tailored to typical industrial workflows. Training effort per user is typically a few days.
5. 5
   Direct support & clear ownership Development in Goch (DE), support from the same team. No three-tier escalation system with ticket queues. For specialised topics such as the Bruker QMatrix integration, we are directly reachable.

Customers who have been with us for the long term

Track record is the most honest metric. These customers have been working with [FP]-LIMS for more than a decade – and their statements speak for themselves:

• Siempelkamp Foundry – [FP]-LIMS rolled out as early as 1992 alongside a spectrometer. To this day it manages all chemical analyses centrally.
• Buderus Guss (European market leader for passenger car brake discs) – more than 20 years in use. Statement: “I cannot imagine how our production would work without the LIMS.”
• AGOSI (Allgemeine Gold- und Silberscheideanstalt, precious metal processing) – ISO/IEC 17025 accredited since 2012, running continuously on [FP]-LIMS in three-shift operations.
• COMPO EXPERT (fertiliser specialist with around 700 employees and an international sales network) – reporting early trend detection, identification of dependencies and active process optimisation.
• STANNOL (soldering technology, over 142 years of company history) – documentation effort reduced by 80% since rollout in 2020. Quote from the Head of Innovation: “All data is valuable.”
• Mannesmann Line Pipe – steel pipe production with stringent quality requirements.
• Marienhütte – steel mill with full LIMS integration into the production sequence.

The list is not exhaustive – but it shows the DNA of our customer base: industrial operations with a high testing volume, shift operations and close integration between laboratory and production.

Where the LIMS market is heading

The LIMS market is changing – and with it, what industrial customers expect from a solution:

• Cross-industry tightening of standards – ISO 17025 (2017 revision) demands significantly more IT depth than before. Those who do not keep up will fail the audit. More on this here.
• Industry 4.0 / the digital laboratory – networking laboratory, ERP and production is becoming a must. More on this here.
• Artificial intelligence in the laboratory – AI will deliver value in specific spots (QM documentation, predictive maintenance, anomaly detection). But only when the data foundation is right. Our focus: a solid data foundation as the precondition for AI. Our honest position on this.
• Cloud as an option, not an obligation – industrial customers want the choice: on-premises, cloud or hybrid. Single-model vendors come under pressure.

Our strategy for the coming years: go deeper in the key industries where we are strong – rather than expanding into new industries where others are better positioned.

Frequently asked questions on selecting [FP]-LIMS