Argos produces and sells cement, concrete and aggregates. For almost 90 years, the company has built a history based on sustainability, innovation, care for the environment and commitment to creating value for the company and society. With a vision focused on the future, Argos continues its purpose of enabling the construction of housing and infrastructure dreams in around 16 countries.

Argos has almost 4,000 employees in its regions, 7 cement plants, 46 concrete plants, 6 aggregate plants, 7 clinker grinding units, 11 ports and terminals, around 639 concrete mixer trucks and 4 vessels under Time Charter. Its total installed capacity is 24 million tons of cement. In 2023, it exported to 28 destinations.

The Argos Research and Development team, based at the Colombian University EAFIT, sought to unify laboratory process information in a single repository, ensure the quality of results and improve the execution of its research projects. For this reason, Actiz was chosen as the ideal solution to meet these challenges and transform the management of the Argos Research and Development laboratory.

Key Results: a Laboratory Management System capable of reducing manual errors, improving laboratory management and positively impacting the development of the company’s research projects

Since June 2022, the Argos Research laboratory has been using Actiz. The system was chosen due to its extensive customization possibilities and excellent cost-benefit ratio. Actiz has been integrated into the laboratory equipment, enabling the automatic issuance of certificates and reports, which has significantly improved the efficiency and accuracy of laboratory operations.

It is worth remembering: a Laboratory Management System, or LIMS — Laboratory Information Management System — is a system with resources that meet the needs of both a quality control laboratory and a service provider laboratory, allowing for the efficient management of processes, activities and information generated.

A properly implemented and configured Laboratory Management System has the potential to balance four critical variables of a laboratory: productivity, quality, cost and response time, in addition to facilitating compliance with regulatory agencies.

In one year, Argos’ Research and Development laboratory transformed its laboratory management, moving from inefficient manual processes to an automated and integrated operation with Actiz

Argos’ transition from manual management to management with the Actiz system took about a year and resulted in significant changes in the operation of the research and development laboratory at EAFIT University in Colombia.

The integration was implemented with eight pieces of laboratory equipment, the workflow was digitized and sample reception checklists were created. In addition, automation and customized reports were created, and dashboards were built to provide insights into response time, the time required for an analyst to perform an activity, the number of non-compliant jobs, among others. This approach ensured a gradual integration of processes, increasing the efficiency and accuracy of laboratory operations.

The results: improved efficiency and total control over laboratory operations

With Actiz, processes became automated, allowing complete integration with equipment and the automatic issuance of certificates and reports. This change not only improved operational efficiency, but also ensured greater accuracy and consistency in results. All of this was possible thanks to our commitment to providing autonomy to users, with training and comprehensive qualification. Among the results obtained by Argos after implementing Actiz, the following stand out:

Improved Execution Time: Scheduling worksheets for analysts allows them to view activities in real time, making it easier to determine delivery deadlines.

Centralized Management: With all information in one place, Argos can manage multiple customer requests more easily and quickly, rescheduling worksheets and equipment usage as needed.

Supply Management: The software manages supplies associated with testing and analysis, facilitating inventory control.

Maintenance Scheduling: Argos can now monitor equipment maintenance activities, including when and how they were performed, improving management of equipment details.

Efficiency in Various Tests: Argos performs tests with widely varying timeframes, from minutes to one year. Actiz allows you to monitor efficiency and productivity in all these tests, identifying moments of high and low efficiency and understanding the causes, such as lack of supplies or unavailability of equipment.

Downtime Utilization: The system allows Argos to utilize analyst downtime between tests. Detailed scheduling and an overview of pending, approved, ongoing and completed activities help analysts become more efficient, resulting in cost savings.

Partnership between Actiz and Argos

With Actiz as your partner, you will not only have a management system, but an ally committed to the excellence and success of your laboratory. Together, we will transform challenges into opportunities and take your laboratory to new levels of success. Argos’ success story demonstrates how Actiz can transform laboratory management, providing significant gains in efficiency, accuracy and data management. If you identify with Argos’ situation and have faced limitations with manual management, Actiz may be the ideal solution to transform your laboratory management.

Our technology offers autonomy, ease of use, customization without the need for programming, and efficient technical support. We invite you to contact us to explore how our system can adapt to your specific needs and help you achieve exceptional results.

Are you ready to power your lab with Actiz?

We are your best partner: we do not just offer a system, but we are committed to bringing efficiency and accuracy to every step of your workflow. We facilitate compliance with standards such as ISO 17025 and, in addition, Actiz offers 360º management of the laboratory, from issuing proposals to generating customized reports. With Actiz as your partner, you will have not only a management system, but an ally committed to the excellence and success of your laboratory.