SNBL USA Protects Its Critical Research Environments with the Metasys® System Implementation

EVERETT, Wash.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--SNBL USA, the experts in primate research, has announced the implementation and validation of Johnson Controls’ Metasys^® building management system to provide the reliable monitoring and control of temperature and humidity that is critical to all SNBL client research projects.

“SNBL USA was looking for a robust, efficient and reliable building management system that can dynamically synthesize information from a variety of sources over SNBL’s entire infrastructure to help ensure the proper facility and environment conditions and protect all of our client studies”

Before Johnson Controls, SNBL USA had been using a control system that required many manual checks and equipment adjustments. In an effort to streamline processes and be more efficient with its resources, SNBL turned to Johnson Controls for a solution that offers reliable, automatic controls to improve its overall business quality and output. SNBL needed a building control system that would constantly and consistently monitor and control its equipment and enable it to report the exact conditions of monitored areas to the FDA at any time. Reliability and flexibility to expand the system or access it remotely were also essential in meeting its needs.

Johnson Controls proposed a total retrofit of the existing control system, replacing it with a Metasys^® system to monitor and control temperature and humidity in the habitat areas and laboratories, as well as in some office spaces. The system consists of multiple field controllers for all the equipment, which report back to the head-end where they can be monitored and controlled. In addition, Johnson Controls worked with the SNBL information technology department to utilize a cyber server on its equipment, which provides additional reliability by providing built-in redundancy.

To further ensure reliability, SNBL required a four-month validation period before the legacy system could be removed. The company’s quality assurance team conducted extensive confidence testing to ensure the Metasys^® system would operate as designed and meet the strict government requirements to which SNBL is held accountable. At the end of the validation period, the system was found to operate as designed and provided reliability; not a single modification was required.

“SNBL USA was looking for a robust, efficient and reliable building management system that can dynamically synthesize information from a variety of sources over SNBL’s entire infrastructure to help ensure the proper facility and environment conditions and protect all of our client studies,” said Ron Wren, director of operations at SNBL USA. “We found the solution with Johnson Controls’ Metasys^® system. It preserves the flexibility to monitor and control our systems, including additional safeguards that alert the appropriate team when facility and environment conditions change outside the scope of expectation.”

For additional information regarding SNBL USA’s facility or toxicology services in general, please contact SNBL at 425.322.1950 or [e-mail].

About SNBL USA, Ltd.

Headquartered in Everett, Wash., SNBL USA, Ltd. offers a unique range of safety assessment services to fulfill its commitment to help free patients from suffering. Managed and operated by a team world renowned for its wide-ranging NHP experience and expertise, SNBL offers programs ranging from regulatory toxicology to customized study designs. SNBL’s specialized capabilities include safety assessment of biologics, reproductive toxicology, cardiovascular, respiratory and CNS pharmacology, immunotoxicology and carcinogenicity. SNBL USA’s state-of-the-art facility can house nearly 4,000 NHPs, and its in-house colony ensures a quick study start. Through a commitment to investment and excellence, SNBL USA strives to offer the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries unparalleled quality in both science and service. For additional information, call 425.407.0121 or visit www.snblusa.com.

SNBL USA is a wholly owned subsidiary of Shin Nippon Biomedical Laboratories, Ltd. (SNBL), one of the largest CROs in Japan. With its multiple worldwide facilities and countless skilled and experienced scientists and technicians, SNBL Group works together to provide a full range of drug development services.