When LabWare and the Biological Institute began working together, the starting point seemed simple: Digitizing processes.
Four years later, it became clear that what began as a technology project had transformed into something much bigger: a journey of trust, continuous learning and development at one of the most important scientific centers in Brazil.
On one side, a century-old institute, a benchmark in animal, plant, and environmental health, with a history that helped shape Brazilian science itself.
On the other, a platform designed to give digital form to everything that makes a laboratory thrive: Data, routines, traceability, and informed decision-making.
The Biological Institute (IB), founded in 1927, is a national and international reference in research, diagnosis, surveillance and innovation in animal, plant and environmental health.
Integrated with the São Paulo State Secretaria of Agriculture and Supply, the Institute plays a strategic role in supporting public policies, sanitary practices, and the safety of critical production chains across the country.
With more than 40 specialized laboratories multidisciplinary teams, and units distributed throughout the state, IB's activities include:
Among its historical contributions to Brazilian science is the discovery of bradykinin, a global milestone in pharmacology and in the treatment of hypertension.
Due to its relevance, the Biological Institute is continuously audited by:
With such a significant legacy and level of responsibility, an even greater challenge emerged:
How would they connect 100 years of science to a new operating model: digital, integrated, and data-centric?
When the digitization journey began in 2021, the Biological Institute carried the strength of 100 years of science excellence — and also the weight of its legacy.
As is the case in mature institutions, knowledge existed in abundance, but it was scattered in formats that did not communicate with each other.
The organic growth of activities over decades has created a complex documentation mosaic, including:
The lack of integration between data and records created a ripple effect in the operation:
"Knowledge existed — and in abundance — but it was scattered and trapped in formats that did not communicate with one another.
This was the first clear sign that digital transformation needed to start from the ground up: to unify, standardize, and connect."
— RICARDO JORDÃO, Technical Manager of the Biological Institute
The challenge of making decisions without data. With information scattered across multiple sources and historical records, important decisions ended up depending on the personal experience of the laboratory's Technical Manager — in the case of IB, the manager himself, Ricardo Jordão.
This limitation became particularly critical as workflows grew more complex or when it was necessary to quickly compare current results with historical data.
"During production, I often had to make quick decisions. Without organized data, I relied more on intuition than on numbers."
— RICARDO JORDÃO, Technical Manager of the Biological Institute
Decisions based on memory quickly become operational risks.
The problem was not the science. It was everything surrounding it: equipment tracking, material validation, and the ability to retrieve historical data.
In analog, paper-based processes, there are no built-in controls.
At the Biological Institute, the area most affected by this reality was Exports. Our data needs to be robust and easy to collect. That's what keeps Brazil exporting.
"On paper, I can write that the equipment is approved. In a digital environment, the system blocks it if it isn't."
— RICARDO JORDÃO, Technical Manager of the Biological Institute
Modernization was no longer optional — it had become a strategic necessity.
"Science has always been strong. What was missing was global management."
— RICARDO JORDÃO, Technical Manager of the Biological Institute
In 2021, IB decided to begin its digitization process.
The Institute was not simply looking for software, but for a partner capable of understanding its complexity, absorbing its challenges, and transforming a century of scientific knowledge into digital processes that were scalable, reliable and sustainable.
The LabWare team did not arrive with ready-made answers — they arrived with questions. They came to listen. To understand not only the workflow, but the purpose behind it.
To understand laboratory routines with the same depth used to understand systems architecture. And that's exactly what paved the way for transformation.
The Biological Institute trusted LabWare, and LabWare commited fully to the journey.
Digitalization is not about scanning paper — it's about redesigning the intelligence of the process.
The exchange, mentioned on the previous page, enabled a rapid and structured mapping of:
"Mapping was the first step. Digitalization would be the turning point."
— RICARDO JORDÃO, Technical Manager of the Biological Institute
Digital transformation did not happen all at once; it was carried out in 3 phases, respecting the laboratory's pace, the team's level of maturity, and the complexity of biological production.
It was in Phase 1 that LabWare gained a deep understanding of "how IB works" — and not just "what it does."
This phase laid the foundation for everything that would come after.
This was the moment when IB moved beyond the planning stage, and LabWare became a fundamental part of daily operations.
This phase was developed throughout the second and third years of the partnership.
More control. Less risk. End-to-end traceability, evidence, and validation across the entire process.
The IB has ceased to be a digitized laboratory and has become an intelligent laboratory.
AI applied as a second layer of validation and security.
This is where the operation gains predictability, scale, and intelligence.
Perhaps the most meaningful — and least obvious — aspect of this journey is that it was not unilateral.
This quote from Ricardo Jordão sums it all up:
"If I could go back five years, I would have listened to LabWare more. We tried to adapt everything in our own way, until we understood that the system already had ready-made pathways. When we started working together, the project took off."
Digital transformation is no longer just a concept. It is now measurable in daily operations: at the workbench, during approval meetings, audits, and decision-making processes.
When all the data came to exist within the same digital structure, IB gained something that was previously impossible: predictability.
Instead of reconstructing reasoning from scratch, today each process clearly demonstrates:
This provides managers concrete decision-making tools, rather than assumptions.
"The system doesn't just show what happened — it shows what will happen if no action is taken."
— RICARDO JORDÃO, Technical Manager of the Biological Institute
This future vision is the big turning point.
The biggest pain point before LabWare was not only gathering documents, but ensuring their reliability.
The practical impact: The laboratory no longer needs to prepare for an audit — it is already prepared.
"Before, we had to prove compliance. Now, the platform demonstrates it automatically."
— RICARDO JORDÃO, Technical Manager of the Biological Institute
The team's time and energy are focused on what truly matters: science.
The laboratory gained several hours of scientific work each week.
What changed in practice?
"The system didn't take away anyone's jobs. It took away the work that wasn't science."
— RICARDO JORDÃO, Technical Manager of the Biological Institute
By: Ricardo Jordão
Laboratory Insight + Technology Expertise. Few players are able to take a biological process and implement it as system logic without distorting or removing critical steps.
The system did not attempt to reshape the lab. A key lesson learned along the way: The platform already includes many features ready to use. The rest can be adjusted as needed.
The relationship is not "customer-orders, supplier delivers." It is co-creation.
LabWare learns from the customer and adjusts the product according to the team's maturity, software knowledge, and experience working with leading organizations across industries.
"I realized I didn't need to come with everything ready-made. I just had to tell management, and they would find the technical solution."
— RICARDO JORDÃO, Technical Manager of the Biological Institute
More simultaneous workflows: The Biological Institute tripled its parallel processing capacity, maintaining the quality of information and increasing control over each stage.
Less rework: A reduction in manual corrections, especially in data verification and validation.
Scanned documents 96 POPs | 60 ITs | ~140 REGs: A structured, accessible, and audit-ready collection of critical documents.
The transformation created a solid foundation for scaling safely.
The Biological Institute didn't just adopt a system. It created a new way of thinking about... Laboratory operations.
With committed leadership, clear communication, and a team willing to evolve, IB transformed 100 years of scientific routine into structured, traceable data, ready for the future.
More than just digitizing tasks, IB built a living repository of knowledge, capable of supporting audits, new research, continuous improvements and strategic decision-making.
The transformation of the Biological Institute began with a clear decision to organize processes and implement change.
IB continues to evolve its processes, incorporating new layers of intelligence, connecting areas, reducing risks, and expanding its strategic vision of data.
LabWare continues to support IB, delivering continuous innovation, new integrations, advanced features, and a global ecosystem of case studies that accelerates the digital maturity of its clients.
If yes, then this might be the right time to start your own transformation journey with LabWare.