Rockwell Automation helps speed delivery of COVID-19 test kits

Lanco Inc received several recent orders from customers producing rapid result kits to test for COVID-19. As with so many other providers in the field, it didn’t take Lanco long to work out that the quicker they could get their machines making the necessary COVID testing equipment, the more lives could potentially be saved. Ed Karabec, Lanco’s CEO observed “When we signed on to the project, we were confident we could find ways to shorten our design cycle. What was out of our control was the stressed supply chain and the ability to get parts from around the world. That made our partner selection even more important. With our machine shop we could expedite certain parts, and we relied on the promises of trusted partners for the rest.

Our shop was full of work-in-progress for customers who needed their machines – and who collectively agreed to wait a little longer so that we could to prioritise the COVID-19 machines”. 

Lanco says that it was chosen by its COVID-19 test kit customer of its experience and delivery promises, and that they in turn chose the Rockwell Automation platform – including programmable logic controllers (PLCs), software, servo motors and human machine interface (HMI) – for the same reasons. It was, the company says, the quickest way to get its machines built, programmed and up and running. In some cases, Lanco has managed to reduce machine building times by as much as 50% thanks to its suppliers like Rockwell Automation reducing their delivery times.