Silvia Belotto
Standardization can be challenging within a single laboratory. Extending the same operating model across dozens of sites and a global manufacturing network is a very different undertaking. During their presentation “OneLIMS Rapid Site Deployment” at the LabWare 2026 European Customer Education Conference, Rafael Chiou, Orsolya Gaupillat, and Mark Schofield shared how Sanofi has transformed OneLIMS from a pilot initiative into a global program supporting laboratories across its manufacturing and R&D network.
Orsolya Gaupillat, Rafael Chiou and Mark Schofield presenting at the LabWare 2026 European Customer Education Conference.
From Pilot Site to Enterprise Platform
Sanofi is a global biopharmaceutical company operating across 60 countries, with 37 manufacturing sites and 15 R&D locations. As the company increased its focus on data-driven decision making and AI initiatives, the need for consistent laboratory data became increasingly important.
As Rafael explained, the OneLIMS journey began with a pilot site in Geel, Belgium. The original objective was to create a core model for biologics laboratories. In 2021, however, Sanofi decided to scale the program across multiple business units and establish a single platform capable of supporting laboratory standardization throughout the organization.
“We needed a single solution capable of harmonizing and standardizing data across the organization.” – Rafael Chiou, Sanofi
Today, the program has been deployed across several sites, including some of the company's largest manufacturing facilities, with the goal of expanding OneLIMS across the broader network.
Rethinking Deployment to Increase Speed
Scaling the program required a different deployment model. According to Rafael, early deployments were taking longer than desired, creating pressure to deliver faster while maintaining quality. Sanofi responded by introducing a series of changes designed to make implementations more repeatable and easier to scale.
One of the most significant shifts was moving from a traditional waterfall approach to managing OneLIMS as a product. The team also reorganized deployments into smaller implementation clusters. Rather than waiting for a large go-live, sites could receive value earlier, while lessons learned from one deployment could be incorporated into the next.
Sanofi also reduced dependency on local laboratories by creating global support hubs capable of handling activities such as master data creation and documentation updates. This allowed site teams to stay focused on laboratory operations while repetitive tasks were managed centrally.
The result was a deployment model designed not only for speed, but also for long-term scalability.
Using AI to Remove Deployment Bottlenecks
AI was presented as an important accelerator to the program, particularly in areas that traditionally require significant manual effort.
One application involves supporting master data creation. Information from methods, specifications, and source systems can be analyzed through internal AI tools, helping teams prepare and review configuration data more efficiently while maintaining appropriate quality and validation controls.
Similar approaches are also being used to support gap assessments.
Mark Schofield demonstrated another use case through an internally developed code review assistant. Running within Sanofi’s private AI environment, the tool evaluates LIMS Basic code against company development standards before formal review takes place, helping improve consistency while reducing manual effort.
Despite these advances, Sanofi emphasized that human oversight remains a key part of the process. AI is being used to accelerate preparation, analysis, and review activities, but final validation continues to rely on expert assessment before information is used in production environments.
Simplifying Method Execution for Global Rollout
As OneLIMS expanded, Method Execution needed to evolve as well. Sanofi's original electronic laboratory solution had proven successful in production environments; however, the level of customization required made large-scale deployment increasingly difficult.
Orsolya Gaupillat explained how the team reassessed its approach, transitioning from a highly customized solution to a more standardized Method Execution strategy aligned with Sanofi's global rollout objectives.
At the same time, Sanofi launched a broader initiative to harmonize analytical methods, laboratory data, and QC workflows across its network. This created an opportunity to adopt a simpler approach based on LabWare Method Execution.
By moving closer to a standardized model, Sanofi found the solution easier to deploy, maintain, and scale. Harmonized method families could be reflected directly within experiment templates, helping ensure consistency across sites while enabling broader deployment at scale. The approach also aligned more naturally with the wider LabWare ecosystem, supporting laboratories through a common platform and consistent operating model.
Building the Foundation for Future Growth
OneLIMS is ultimately about more than software deployment. The program reflects Sanofi’s effort to create a common laboratory platform capable of supporting a growing network of sites while maintaining consistency in data and laboratory operations.
As OneLIMS continues to expand, the focus is no longer limited to implementing technology. The program is helping establish the foundation needed to support future initiatives across Sanofi’s global laboratory network, while making large-scale deployment more manageable and repeatable.
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