Accelerated Technology Laboratories, Inc.

Accelerated Technology Laboratories, Inc. (ATL) was founded in 1994 in the Silicon Valley in response to the need for an easy to use and affordable Laboratory Information Management Systems (LIMS). There were over two dozen LIMS solutions on the market at the time, but none of these systems were based on Windows or could be easily used. ATL pioneered Windows-based LIMS. Microsoft Access was selected as the reporting tool, as well as Crystal. The database engines include Microsoft SQL Server and Oracle, because they are marketplace leaders and offered advanced functions such as referential integrity and excellent integration with other Windows applications such as Excel, Word, PowerPoint and WordPerfect. Also utilized is Visual Basic, .NET, T-SQL, PL-SQL and XML as programming languages.

ATL experienced rapid success with the enterprise edition, Sample Master Pro, based on Microsoft SQL Server or ORACLE. This was followed by the introduction of ScreenIT Pro for manufacturing environments, NeoMate LIMS for newborn genetic and metabolic disease screening, FreezerMate for freezer management of samples and specimens and Sample Master Result Point for web reporting. We also offer a host of additional products including a Management Reporting Package, a NPDES Discharge Monitoring Reporting(DMR) package, biomouse for biometric ID and electronic signatures and integration with handheld devices for remote field collection Sample Master Palm {using Palm technology), Sample Master Mobile (utilizing Windows Mobile Technology). All of ATL's LIMS products are designed to promote good laboratory practices (GLP).

ATL offers the following services; Needs Assessment, installation, data migration, customization, instrument interfacing, systems integration, training (customized, web-based, on-site or off-site LIMS Boot Camp), remote server management, and technical support with the ATL Metals Support Program - truly providing customers the total data management solution package. All ATL software is backed by our world class support organization.

Today, the Sample Master LIMS product line is installed in over 425 laboratories around the world with over 25,500 users. We have worked with a variety of industries from analytical, environmental, food & beverage, water & wastewater, chemical, government, public health, clinical testing and manufacturing, to name just a few. ATL software has provided LIMS software solutions for a number of Fortune 500 companies and many other laboratories that are ISO, CAP/CLIA, ELAP or NELAC certified. One thing that all of these laboratories have in common is a rapid ROI (Return on Investment). Our data management products utilize open architecture, intuitive screens and provide out of the box functionality that accelerates implementation. ATL's LIMS software products are designed to grow with your laboratory and promote Good Laboratory Practices (GLP).

ATL holds a strong commitment to quality and invests heavily in research and development to provide our customers with the best available technology and tools. We are one of the few independent LIMS firms that is ISO 9001:2008 certified, as well as, one of the few LIMS vendors that is a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner and has been since 1995. As a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner, we receive Microsoft software prior to public release along with priority support, allowing us to see the direction that the industry is heading. ATL is also an ORACLE Business Alliance Partner and a Toshiba, Dell and HP Compaq computer agent. These alliances and certifications enable us to better serve our clients and allow us to offer our customers superior software solutions at affordable costs.

ATL is headquartered in West End, NC with additional offices in Seven Lakes, NC, Newton, NJ, San Francisco, CA, Myrtle Beach, SC, Little Rock, AR, and Denver, CO. We have sales offices in Canada, South America and the Middle East. Our dedicated team has extensive experience in LIMS setup, implementation, database conversion, system validation, instrument integration, training and support. We hire experts in the fields of chemistry, computer science, microbiology, laboratory management, software development and water & wastewater with various degrees ranging from A.S., B.S, M.S., M.Sc. and PhD's.

ATL's strong customer commitment and our LIMS solutions are backed by a comprehensive support plan and dedicated training team. Customers are guaranteed superior technical support from 8am to 5pm EST. ATL keeps customers informed of LIMS and industry news by publishing a quarterly newsletter and holding regular focus groups to ensure that new technology and products continually meet the needs of the laboratory. We also hold user group meetings to obtain customer feedback and provide customers with the opportunity to share ideas, business strategies, code, and reports and build friendships with other users. Customers with GOLD and PLATIMUM support are also guaranteed a dedicated Account Manager that will respond to their needs quickly and efficiently. In addition to offering on-site training and web-based training, we hold off-site training courses bi-annually for LIMS Administrators and End-users - LIMS Boot Camp. These courses are held in Pinehurst, NC and Myrtle Beach, SC. These training courses give customers an invaluable one-on-one training experience with certified Instructors.

We pride ourselves on providing our clients with a total data management solution and a commitment to excellence in product quality, support and training... The ATL Advantage.

ATL is a software company that operates in an environmentally responsible way. Being green is in our DNA. We recycle our office waste, paper, plastic, aluminum and glass, totaling more than 60% of all refuse. We have replaced all the old light bulbs in our offices with more energy efficient bulbs and all our lunchroom and break room appliances are high efficiency Energy Star.

We also use low-flow fixtures and utilize multi-zone air-conditioning and have tinted all office windows that are in direct sunlight to reduce energy costs. ATL has also replaced weekly bottled water delivery with special filters on our potable water supplies. We also produce all of our documentation electronically, and provide the option for clients who like to have hard copies of all literature. Internally we utilize 30% post-consumer recycled paper and recycle and reuse packing material. ATL also leverages Virtual Machines to minimize the number of systems utilized by the various groups within the organization and we utilize GPUs (Graphical Processing Units) in our servers (to reduce electrical usage) in our bioinformatics research and development division. We promote car-pooling, biking and also telecommuting. We also offset the carbon emissions that are generated by our air travel to clients, meetings, conferences and trade shows by planting enough trees in the US National Forest and within North Carolina to balance approximately 200 tons of CO2 annually.

Our Mission

We craft technology into tools that our clients utilize to automate laboratory operations, increase productivity and efficiency, and facilitate discovery. Our mission is to understand our customers’ LIMS, data analysis and information management needs, and work together diligently to implement a system specifically designed to support their goals. Long-term relationships with our clients are fostered through unparalleled customer service, world-class training and innovative product and service solutions.

Our Values

• Automating our customers' laboratories and making their daily work more efficient, more accurate, and overall easier is our goal, as well as the key to long term success for all involved.
• Our focus is customer-driven; we work together to solve challenges and create victories.
• Our customers’ laboratories and businesses are constantly changing, as are the automation tools and technology: ATL team members are dedicated to keeping current with the latest technologies, skills, training, and tools.
• We value sincerity, honesty and integrity in all we do.
• We embrace change and continual improvements in our products and services, processes and tools.
• Our team is motivated and driven by results to ensure we maximize the value delivered to our clients.

Our Core Competencies

ATL’s strategic focus is to develop software tools for the laboratories across several market segments that will facilitate automation, productivity, and discovery. ATL is ISO Certified and a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner, so our applications are developed using Microsoft's Visual Studio and other Microsoft tools. Our alliance with Microsoft allows us to provide our customers with consistent looking applications that use state-of-the-art programming techniques. We are also an Oracle Partner.

ATL is committed to the quality process and continual improvement of our quality management system.

Accelerated Technology Laboratories, Inc.'s Commitment to Quality
ATL is certified to the ISO 9001:2000 standard - the first LIMS vendor to be certified to this new standard. We are continually striving to exceed our client's expectations with our Laboratory Information Management Systems and our services that include training, support and in the implementation of our laboratory automation solutions as well as project management and consulting services.

Accelerated Technology Laboratories, Inc.'s Quality Policy Statement
Accelerated Technology Laboratories, Inc. is dedicated to the design, manufacture and service of high quality information systems and providing services, which meet and exceed our customers' needs. We will do this through a highly competent and qualified staff, aggressive product development, and extensive market research. Company growth, customer satisfaction and increased market share are the measures of our success.

Since ATL was founded, there has always been a strong quality focus with a commitment to the following:

• Quality is not a program; it is an approach to doing business.
• Quality is the utilization of powerful tools and concepts that are proven to work.
• Quality is ultimately defined by the customer's satisfaction.
• Quality includes continuous improvement and innovation.
• Quality tools and techniques are applicable in every aspect of the business.
• Quality is aimed at performance excellence; anything less is an opportunity for improvement.
• Quality increases customer satisfaction, reduces development time and costs, and eliminates/reduces errors and service packs.
• Results (performance and financial) are the natural consequence of an effective quality management system.

ATL's quality goals include continuously striving to improve ATL's Quality Management System (QMS), maintaining a strong customer focus, and providing customers a total data management solution. ATL will also continue to seek partners and value added re-sellers (VARs) that will allow ATL to offer its clients the best available technology.

ATL has formed an Internal Quality Assurance Committee that oversees changes in international ISO standards and continuously monitors internal and external audit results. The Committee also reviews measurement data and all quality issues with an emphasis on opportunities for improvement. An ISO Management Representative (MR) reviews all projects to ensure that ATL customers receive products and services that were described in the Purchase Order at the mutually agreed upon time and within budget. The MR also oversees each project to ensure that the appropriate checklists and documentation were discussed, reviewed, completed and delivered.

ATL provides continual training to all employees on the Quality Management System and training in relation to skills required to enhance their performance in their current position. All new employees go through intensive training on ATL' s policies, procedures and the QMS.

Background Information on the ISO 9000 Series Standard
The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) is the specialized international agency for standardization, at present comprising the national standards bodies of 91 countries. The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) is the member body representing the United States. ISO is made up of approximately 180 Technical Committees.

The purpose of ISO is to promote the development of standardization and related world activities to facilitate the international exchange of goods and services, and to develop cooperation in intellectual, scientific, technological, and economic activity. The results of ISO technical work are published as international standards. The standards discussed here are a result of this process.

ISO Technical Committee 176 (ISO/TC176) was formed in 1979 to harmonize the increasing international activity in quality management and develop the ISO 9000 series quality assurance standards.

The ISO 9000 series is a set of three individual, but related, international standards on quality management and quality assurance. These standards were developed to effectively document the quality system elements to be implemented in order to maintain an efficient quality system in your company.