Author Archives: Steven Miles

YouTube and Pharma – from the BioJobBlog

Our friends at BioJobBlog recently posted a great piece on the use of videos by pharma companies – with a nice reference to our material.

Here’s some excerpts from the post:

According to Mark Senak, the unofficial life sciences company video archivist and author of the always insightful EyeonFDA blog, there are presently about 15 companies that have channels on YouTube; the largest video sharing website on the Internet.

There is no question that video is expensive to make if it is done commercially. However, Ken Grant at Analtech, a small chromatography company in Delaware, who has successfully used video to drive and improve business outcomes, contends that a low cost Flip video camera or equivalent is sufficient to get the job done! 

You can read the entire post by clicking here.

Congratulations to the Delaware Biotechnology Scholarship Winners

We have been proud supporters of the Delaware Governors’ Biotechnology Fund Scholarship and we joischolarship awardsn Governor Jack Markell in congradulating the 2010 recipients.

The following is an official statement from the office of the Governor:

Governor Jack Markell presented the 2010 Delaware Governors’ Biotechnology Fund Scholarships to three students on May 17th.

Scholarships were presented to Charles Eke, a student at Delaware State University; Nathan Pomroy, a student at Delaware Technical and Community College; and Melanie Smith, a student at the University of Delaware.

The Delaware Governors’ Biotechnology Scholarship Fund was created by the Fraunhofer USA Center for Molecular Biotechnology in 2006 for the purpose of encouraging Delaware students to consider studies and career opportunities in the growing field of biotechnology. Thee scholarship fund was named to acknowledge the support of state governors, starting with Governor Ruth Ann Minner, for contributing to the growth of the biotechnology industry in the State of Delaware.

Scholarships are awarded annually to a student from each of the following institutions: The University of Delaware, Delaware State University and Delaware Technical and Community College. Student winners must demonstrates a commitment to pursuing the highest standards of excellence, ethics and compassion in the biotechnology field.

From its inception, local companies, including Astra Zeneca, Fraunhofer USA Center for Molecular Biotechnology, iBio Inc., ANP Technologies Inc. Analtech Inc.,and QPS have supported the scholarship fund. The Delaware Governors’ Biotechnology Scholarship Fund is held at the Delaware Community Foundation.

(in photo: Melanie Smith, a student at the University of Delaware, DE Governor Jack Markell, Charles Eke, a student at Delaware State University, Nathan Pomroy, a student at Delaware Technical and Community College)

Production Manager celebrates 35 years of making Thin Layer Chromatography plates

Our Company came together recently to honor Production Manager Terry McVey for 35 years of service.Miles, McVey, Lamkin

Terry started working for Analtech, Inc. in the spring of 1975 and worked his way up the ranks to Production Manager.

Today, Terry is responsible for overseeing the production of thousands of thin layer chromatography plates every month.

Terry McVey“This company really is like family,” Terry said. “It’s great to work with such a quality team of people.”

General Manager Steven Miles said Terry is more than just a great Production Manager.

“Terry is an excellent role model,” said Miles. “If my children ever decide to come to work here, I want them learning from Terry – he is a great leader and teacher.”

Company Marks one year of four-day work weeks

We just issued the following Press Release – seriously – four day work weeks are the way to go:

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NEWARK, DE – Analtech, Inc., the only U.S. manufacturer of thin layer chromatography plates and equipment, marks one year of operating on a four-day work schedule this week.

Since the company started in 1961, Analtech has manufactured thin layer chromatography plates for eight hours a day, five days a week.
Team
But, starting in May of 2009, the company switched to working four days a week for ten hours each.

“Our company started our ‘Lean Journey’ with the Delaware Manufacturing Extension Partnership in 2008,” said General Manager Steven C. Miles. “In addition to streamlining our manufacturing process, we started looking at every aspect of our business in a new light, so when we heard about the state of Utah switching to a four-day work week, we thought it was worth a try.”

“After coordinating with our customers, suppliers, freight carriers, mail carriers, and others, we changed our operating hours the first week of May last year,” said Miles.

A Significant Change

More than half of Analtech’s 17 employees have been working with the company for more than 20 years. The company decided to move to a four-day work week on a trial basis at first.
McVey
“This was certainly something new,” said Production Manager Terry McVey. “I wasn’t sure how well this would work at first, but the results have been encouraging across the board.”

“The results we’re seeing are similar to what we’ve heard from the state of Utah,” said Miles. “Productivity and morale – both measured pretty high before the transition – improved even more, absenteeism is down and we’re seeing savings in our energy bills.”

More Benefits

Micky Jones, Human Resources Manager for Analtech, says there’s more benefits to the change in work hours.
Brian
“By cutting down on our energy use and requiring our team to only commute four days a week instead of five, I believe we’re benefiting the local environment,” said Jones. “Add to that the improved work/life balance for the team, and this looks like a win-win-win situation.”
Coincidentally, as Analtech marks one year of four-day weeks inspired by reports from the state of Utah, the May, 2010 edition of Readers Digest has an article about 25 ideas that will improve your life – number two on the list is the four-day work week:

You can thank the recession for starting the conversation about better ways to work, says Rex Facer, a management professor at Brigham Young University. After Utah became the first state to mandate a four-day week for most of its employees, Facer found that workers, who received the same salary either way, preferred four longer days to five shorter ones and called in sick less often. The state also saw its bills slashed: Fewer miles on state vehicles provided $1.4 million in savings, while less overtime and sick leave cut another $4.1 million. Although four days don’t work for everyone, the trend is expected to grow. Cities like Birmingham, Alabama, and Melbourne Beach, Florida, recently began offering Monday-to-Thursday schedules to some workers, and research suggests that more than a third of U.S. employers-including recent convert General Motors-now give the option. “It’s a way to attract and retain talented employees,” says Facer.

Click Here for link to the Readers Digest article.

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High School Students learning TLC/Forensics in England

These excerpts come from TivertonPeople in the UK:Tiverton High School students

In a partnership between the science departments at Petroc in Tiverton and Tiverton High School, seventy-five Year 10 High School pupils spent a morning in the Petroc laboratories with some of the college’s BTEC Forensic Science and A Level students performing a programme of tests and analysis. 

The activities were based around techniques that are used in a wide variety of scientific settings such as blood typing of a suspects’ blood samples, and blood found at a crime scene, thin layer chromatography of pink lipstick to identify all the different coloured pigments that are found in this lipstick and Titrations to determine the Vitamin C concentration of a range of Apple juices found in the supermarket.

Lynda Broomhead, science lecturer at Petroc said: “Both staff and students from the High School were very positive about the benefits of this event.”

Click Here to read the complete article.

Common Questions and Answers

We get several great questions whenever we go out to trade shows – we figured now would be a good time to post some of those questions and our answers:
 
Q: Have you really been manufacturing Thin Layer Chromatography plates and equipment longer than anyone else in the world?

products

A: Yes, we’ve been doing this since 1961 – next year we celebrate 50 years of supplying the world with high-quality Chromatography products.
Q: What’s so special about your Chromatography supplies?
A: Glad you asked! We offer the following:
 
  • Glass-Backed, Pre-Scored plates
  • Aluminum-backed layers
  • Plastic-Backed layers
  • Florescent Indicators
  • Solid Phase Extraction (SPE) SPICE Cartridges
  • Bulk Absorbents
  • HPLC columns 
Q: We noticed that you have very colorful HPLC Columns, is there anything else we should know about them?color HPLC columns
A: Yes, besides the practical aspect of knowing which packing 

color columns

material you have inside a column based on the color outside, our HPLC columns utilize proprietary bonding technologies from Separation Methods Technologies that result in bonded phase coverage approaching 100%.
Q: Tell us more about the Cyclograph – can it really separate up to 4 grams of sample in 20 minutes? and can we see a demonstration of how it works?
A: Excellent question! The CycloGraph system is a centrifugally accelerated device for performing preparative thin layer radial separations. The separations occur quickly (normally within 20 minutes) with no need for scraping separated bands as with traditional Thin Layer Chromatography. Here’s a video demonstration, and you can click here for more information.

Q: Can we order your products direct or can we go through a distributor?
A: Yes, you can order directly from us or you can work with any of our distributors (we work with several – all around the world) – click here for more information.

Chromatography featured on Forensics Blog

We just discovered a great new blog dedicated specifically to Forensics.

A recent post caught our eye:

Chromatography – A Powerful Tool For Forensics

Here’s some excerpts:

What this process allows, among various other benefits, is the precise separation of complex chemical mixtures using a color-coded matrix. The identification of chemicals by means of a color code has made chromatography very popular, especially at potentially messy forensic crime scenes.
Usually, the application of chromatography in a laboratory setting involves passing a mixture through a series of phases. The mixture passes from a mobile phase, through a stationary phase, and results in the isolation of the desired molecule or compound.

The uses of chromatography are varied and accurate, making it a perfect match for law enforcement. As the forensic specialists forge forward with their investigations, stay tuned to your favorite crime show. You may hear them mention, as the dramatic music crescendos and your favorite stars pretend to be concerned, a chromatographical process.

Click Here to read the full post

Of course we can’t let this opportunity go without another look at Thin Layer Chromatography being used in the popular television show “CSI”

The Forensics Specialist for the Sarasota Sheriff’s Office

It’s always great when someone comes up to your booth at an event like Pittcon and says they’ve been using your product successfully for 15 years – it’s even better when that person is Nancy Ludwigsen, Forensics Specialist with the Sarasota Sheriff’s Office.

Nancy was kind enough to talk with us about her work and some of the features she likes about our Thin Layer Chromatography plates.