Chizhou Quality Inspection
New Smart Lab Benchmark
Chizhou Product Quality Supervision & Inspection Institute (Chizhou QI), as a comprehensive product quality testing institution in Anhui Province, handles testing across food, chemicals, building materials, light industry, and other sectors, operating 14 specialized departments. In 2024, Chizhou QI chose the CNWAYLab X LIMS platform to advance comprehensive digital transformation — completing the full deployment from requirements gathering to enterprise-wide go-live in just 6 months, becoming a new benchmark for informatization in China's comprehensive testing institutions.
Challenges & Our Solutions
Chizhou QI has many departments, broad testing domains, and complex business processes. After in-depth research, the CNWAYLab X team deconstructed the core pain points and corresponding solutions, ensuring the platform resolves immediate problems while reserving space for future expansion.
Department Data Silos
14 departments — Food, Chemicals, Building Materials, Light Industry, etc. — operated independently with no shared sample info, test data, or report status. Cross-department coordination relied on phone calls and paper routing slips, with extremely high coordination costs and frequent cycle-time delays due to information lag.
CNWAYLab X Unified Platform
Built on the CNWAYLab X cloud-native platform with a unified data model and permission system, connecting business and data flows across all 14 departments. Samples flow automatically between departments with real-time status visibility, completely eliminating information barriers. A unified sample coding system enables full-lifecycle tracking and traceability for every sample.
Manual Report Inefficiency
Test reports were entirely manually produced — technicians filled paper logbooks with raw data, department heads manually reviewed, and typists transcribed everything into Word for formatting. A complete report took an average of 3 days. With approximately 12,000 reports annually, manpower investment was enormous, with frequent format inconsistencies and transcription errors.
Automated Report Engine
CNWAYLab X features a built-in intelligent report engine: raw data flows directly from instrument auto-capture into report templates; the system auto-populates, matches limits, and generates determination conclusions. Supports one-click CMA-formatted export and batch issuance with automatic e-signature stamping. Report preparation time dropped from an average of 3 days to under 4 hours.
Compliance Audit Pressure
CMA qualification and CNAS accreditation reviews grow stricter each year, with assessors demanding full-process traceability and raw data reproducibility. Chizhou QI's legacy paper-based record system required manually sifting through vast archives for weeks to prepare materials, with no guarantee of record completeness or consistency.
Field-Level Audit Trail
CNWAYLab X provides field-level audit trail — every operational node from sample reception to report issuance is automatically recorded with operator, timestamp, before/after values, and change reason. The audit panel supports multi-dimensional search and export by time period, personnel, and module — generating audit-ready materials in one click with complete, reliable records.
Core Functional Modules Deployed
The CNWAYLab X platform deployed a complete functional matrix covering sample management, lab records, instrument data, quality management, report generation, and data visualization — 8 core modules in total.
Sample Management
Full lifecycle management from sample reception, registration, coding, distribution to retention. Supports barcode/RFID tracking with real-time sample flow visibility.
Instrument Data Capture
Connected to 85+ testing instruments for automatic data capture and real-time return from chromatography, spectroscopy, and mass spectrometry equipment — eliminating manual transcription errors.
Electronic Lab Notebook ELN
Structured experiment record templates covering all departmental test methods. Supports attachment upload, version control, and electronic signatures — goodbye paper notebooks.
Report Management
Auto-generates CMA-standard test reports, supporting multi-level review workflows, electronic signatures, and one-click batch issuance with full online closed-loop reporting.
Quality Management QMS
Full-process online management of internal audits, management reviews, CAPA, non-conformities, and complaint handling — quality system status visible at a glance.
Audit Trail
Field-level audit trail automatically records every data modification — operator, timestamp, before/after values, and change reason — satisfying CMA/CNAS compliance requirements.
Mobile App
Sample scan sign-off, on-site sampling data entry, pending report push notifications — mobile office covering field operations and all lab scenarios.
Data Dashboard
Real-time display of sample flow status, testing progress, instrument utilization, quality trends, and other key metrics — ideal for lab presentations and executive decision-making.
Implementation Path & Key Milestones
Over 6 months, progressing steadily through 5 phases — from requirements gathering to full go-live, each phase with clearly defined delivery criteria and acceptance milestones.
Weeks 1–4: Deep Dive On-Site, Full Assessment
The CNWAYLab implementation team embedded on-site at Chizhou QI, conducting one-on-one interviews across all 14 departments to map sample types, test methods, report formats, and workflow pain points. Delivered a 120-page blueprint document defining system architecture, data models, interface plans, and implementation schedule.
Weeks 5–10: Foundation Build, Instrument Connectivity
Deployed CNWAYLab X private cloud environment, completing base configuration for unified authentication, permission systems, and data dictionaries. Simultaneously initiated data capture integration for 85 testing instruments — covering HPLC, GC, ICP-MS, AAS, UV-Vis and other mainstream equipment — achieving bi-directional data communication and protocol adaptation.
Weeks 11–18: Phased Rollout, Everyone Proficient
Transferred business flows for 14 departments in 3 batches. Before each batch went live, completed system operation training, business process walkthroughs, and SOP cross-verification. Organized 32 training sessions covering 160 participants — from technicians to department directors, everyone mastered system operations.
Weeks 19–22: Parallel Validation, Fine-Tuning
Old and new systems ran in parallel; each department maintained paper records as a reference alongside online workflows. Collected 230+ optimization suggestions covering interface interaction, workflow nodes, report templates, and permission settings — each evaluated and addressed through iterative releases.
Weeks 23–24: Formal Cutover, Assessment Passed
In May 2025, formally switched to fully online operations; paper records fully retired from daily business. The following month, the CMA re-assessment arrived — the assessment panel highly commended CNWAYLab X's data integrity, audit trail capabilities, and electronic compliance level. Chizhou QI passed re-assessment smoothly on the first attempt.
"The CNWAYLab X platform not only solved our data silo challenges but also enabled Chizhou QI to pass the CMA re-assessment on the first attempt. This was a digital transformation experience that exceeded our expectations."
Learn How CNWAYLab Can Drive Your Lab's Digital Transformation
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