Talking with Joe Crowley: Brinkmann's VP of sales and marketing broadens understanding of ergonomics, liquid-handling systems. Crowley, vice president at Brinkmann Instruments Inc.

Medical Laboratory Observer, Sept, 2003 by Dottie Dunham

Dottie Dunham: Brinkmann Instruments is recognized as a major supplier of a variety of products for laboratories. What trends in the clinical laboratory segment of the marketplace do you believe will influence the direction of the company in the next five years?

Joe Crowley: Brinkmann has historically been focused in the research market. Although we have an almost universal presence in the clinical laboratory with our Eppendorf pipettes, centrifuges and plastic consumables, we have only recently begun to reconsider the opportunities available to us in this particular market segment. We believe that the clinical market for sample preparation and liquid-handling technologies is responding to the same trends that ate dominant in many of our core industry and academic research segments. Among these particular trends are:

* Automation or manual accommodation of routine and/or repetitive tasks that require a high degree of quality and accuracy, particularly in the establishment of molecular technologies in the clinical environment.

* Availability of systems, devices and consumables suited to ensure sample integrity in more demanding clinical, forensic, cell culture and molecular diagnostic applications.

* Demand for technologies and support services which contribute tangibly to a safer and more productive work environment.

Dunham: The PhysioCare Concept is setting a new standard for integrated liquid-handling systems and work processes. Can you explain its basic concept criteria? Explain the ergonomics that come into play with this system.

Crowley: Early in the development of any technology, the primary focus is on function rather than form. As the technology comes into wider use and matures, the objective then is to address a broad range of complementary elements that will tangibly lead to better quality of work, with a safe, enjoyable and more productive work environment. That is the thinking behind the PhysioCare Concept. In the case of liquid handling, Eppendorf, the pioneer of modern pipetting technology, developed and commercialized the first piston-stroke pipette along with an associated pipette tip and the Eppendorf Tube in 1961. In many ways, this basic combination of tools served as an enabling technology in the earliest years of biotechnology research. Throughout the past four decades of growth in biotechnology; Eppendorf has optimized this basic system in the following ways:

1. We have developed complete systems where the user can select the right type of pipette for his application, along with exactly the right type and purity level of pipette tip. This sounds simple, but when you consider the broad range of liquid-handling applications and the broad range of tools we offer, it represents a real accomplishment. For instance, a customer doing molecular diagnostic work like RT-PCR detection of SARS CoV can select a fully programmable electronic pipette along with a certified PCR clean filter tip to assure accuracy, reproducibility and eliminate any possibility of cross-contamination.

2. We have applied advanced material science in the design and manufacture of our pipettes to assure maximum durability, quality of calibration and very light weight. Our pipettes incorporate noncorroding ceramic piston design for optimal chemical compatibility and smooth operation with advanced plastics to assure autoclavability, UV-resistance and proper seating, and ejection of tips with minimal force and exertion. Our selection of materials and quality of design allow us to back our pipettes with a full three-year warranty.

3. Our pipettes have been designed for optimal ergonomics. We understand that a pipette needs to be as light as possible to avoid long-term fatigue and repetitive stress. That is why our pipettes weigh up to 30% less than others. We have found that a more uniform weight distribution, along with an integrated hand rest hook, allows the user to relax his hand and take short work pauses while the pipette remains comfortably in hand. This "micro break" is an important element in preventing fatigue and injury.

4. We have designed all of our pipetting and tip systems in a way that helps the end-user work in a productive manner. We have color-coded our pipette operating buttons with the appropriate or matching tip racks. This assures the operator that he has selected the appropriate volume tip for the job. Throughout the range of products, we have assured that buttons are where they should be, volumes are easily read and programmed, such as pipetting and dispensing functions, to be easily stored and recalled.

5. We have designed a system that offers performance across all three of the important measures of repetitive force associated with pipetting. Those three forces are tip seating, aspiration and dispensing, and tip ejection. The Eppendorf PhysioCare Concept pipette requires up to 50% less operating force than others. This, combined with a low weight, balanced weight distribution, and a design that conforms to the anatomy of the human hand makes the Eppendorf PhysioCare Concept pipette ergonomically efficient.