2016 global ion mobility spectrometry enabling technology … · 2016. 9. 1. · best practice...

2016 GlobalIon Mobility Spectrometry

Enabling Technology Leadership Award

2016

GLOBALION MOBILITY SPECTROMETRY

ENABLING TECHNOLOGY LEADERSHIP AWARD

2016

BEST PRACTICES RESEARCH

© Frost & Sullivan 2016 1 “We Accelerate Growth”

Contents Background and Company Performance ........................................................................ 2

Industry Challenges .............................................................................................. 2

Technology Leverage and Customer Impact ............................................................. 2

Conclusion........................................................................................................... 5

Significance of Enabling Technology Leadership ............................................................. 7

Understanding Enabling Technology Leadership ............................................................. 7

Key Benchmarking Criteria .................................................................................... 8

Best Practice Award Analysis for Excellims Corporation ................................................... 8

Decision Support Scorecard ................................................................................... 8

Technology Leverage ............................................................................................ 9

Customer Impact ................................................................................................. 9

Decision Support Matrix ...................................................................................... 10

The Intersection between 360-Degree Research and Best Practices Awards ..................... 11

Research Methodology ........................................................................................ 11

Best Practices Recognition: 10 Steps to Researching, Identifying, and Recognizing Best Practices ................................................................................................................. 12

About Frost & Sullivan .............................................................................................. 13



Background and Company Performance

Industry Challenges

The use of ion mobility spectrometry for sample testing and chemical detection has become popular in both laboratory research and real-world applications. However, there are several limitations that existing methods, such as high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), mass spectrometry (MS), and their combination fail to address. The traditional HPLC and MS devices, due to sample complexity, are in many cases unable to isolate and identify isomeric compounds, cite biomarkers in metabolomics research, and prepare illustrative structures of samples. These traditional methods do not measure the effective collision cross section of molecules. Furthermore, traditional MS technology is incapable of performing such in-depth sample analysis unless combined with the ion mobility separation technique. For instance, in proteomics or metabolomics research, the sample and matrix complexity prevent existing methods like use of HPLC and MS instruments from being effective.

The market is in need of instruments, which offer high resolution separation capabilities that are orthogonal to current HPLC and MS instruments. In addition, most analytics

solution developers are focused on designing equipment for in-lab research purposes. The present industry trends suggest that adoption of ion mobility spectrometry is gradually rising, especially in real-world applications such as explosive detection or anomaly detection, such as the amount of dye in food and beverages. Traditional technologies, such as MS or HPLC, are not competent enough to perform such detections in the field as the market demands a rapid on-site analytical instrument. In this context, analytical instrument vendors should prioritize designing a new technologies that would enable the analytical instruments to detect an array of chemicals with a complex matrix. This development would not only translate into the prompt identification of anomalous substances in laboratories, even when the test environment is complex, but also customers looking to apply ion mobility spectrometry in realistic scenarios would find a viable solution to their needs. Introducing an innovation of this nature would generate an edge of superiority for technology developers over their industry peers.

Technology Leverage and Customer Impact

Commitment to Innovation

Founded in 2005, Massachusetts-based Excellims Corporation (Excellims) is a global leader in designing ion mobility spectrometry solutions, which are based on its innovative technologies. Excellims’ High Performance Ion Mobility Spectrometry (HPIMS™) technology is the world’s first electrospray ionization IMS system offered as a commercial product, and is the first high resolution IMS that delivers a resolving power 2 to 10 times higher than other IMS products in the market, which offers a comparable resolution to modern HPLC systems. This is also the first major resolution improvement for IMS instrumentation after it was first introduced in the 1970s.



Excellims’ success in technology innovation can be largely attributed to its customer-centric approach that emphasizes on building a deep understanding of customers’ unmet needs hailing from various market segments. Developing equipment based on customers’ changing preferences as well as evolving market trends holds the key to the company’s success in being able to offer customers innovative solutions that best match their requirements. By collaborating with an industry leading MS company, Excellims has introduced MA3100 (June 2014), a ‘high-performance ion mobility separator for mass spectrometers,’ comprising a flexible set of operational modes (open, scan, gated, and notched) to pass or block ions for mass spectrometers. This product allows users to maximize the IMS control for MS experimentation as per their expected end results.

Commitment to Creativity

Committed to create robust solutions based on its cutting-edge technologies, Excellims not only emphasizes employing its expert resources but also offering them a highly rewarding experience based on their contribution to developing such technologies. Under the leadership of incredibly experienced personnel in the field of ion mobility and mass spectrometry, these employees also receive a well-guided road map to add innovative features to the company’s solutions. The high resolving power of its HPIMS systems (ranging from 60 to 120, which is up to 10 times more advanced than the resolution offered by any other IMS system in the market) strongly testifies to the company’s commitment to offering customers a best-in-class user experience.

Compared to traditional semi-quantitative ion mobility spectrometers, systems based on the company’s HPIMS technology demonstrate 2% to 10% relative standard deviation (RSD). This significant improvement enables the use of HPIMS technology for applications in which high precision is required. Owing to these advanced features, Excellims’ offerings are more suitable for applications such as checking purity of samples, ensuring material uniformity, reaction monitoring, dissolution studies, and cleaning verification, all of which require a high level of precision. Some of the areas where the aforementioned creative attributes of the HPIMS technology are in high demand include process analytical technology (PAT) in the pharmaceutical industry, on-site screening for adulterants in the food and drug production process, detection of explosives and illicit drugs/substances for security applications, and quality control in the food and beverage industry. The company, in addition, has observed the immense potential of its HPIMS technology in the detection of biomarkers in fluids for clinical diagnosis.

Commercialization Success

As a part of its strategic plan to successfully commercialize its high-performance ion mobility spectrometers, Excellims segments the markets into 2 domains: laboratory research-based and application-based. Such distinct segmentation allows the company to better understand its customers’ needs in comparison to that of its competitors. Consequently, developing solutions based on its understanding of their needs has boosted the adoption rate of its

MA3100 for MS



offerings. For instance, the company’s product portfolio includes the GA2100 HPIMS technology whose form factor facilitates in convenient fieldability and also guarantees customers sensitivity as well as detectability matching the efficiency level of the traditional HPLC systems. Also, the company’s MA3100 features a high level of convenience in integrating the HPIMS analyzer with mass spectrometers. This allows users to perform chemical separation through an orthogonal mechanism. On one hand, MA3100 is aimed at addressing the needs of research laboratory-based analysis (featuring inclusion or exclusion of specific ions in MS analyzer); on the other hand, GA2100, featuring a compact design and a touchscreen interface, is more suitable for on-site analysis. The compact design of GA2100 makes it easy for customers to deploy the device in manufacturing hubs, mobile laboratories, and laboratory benchtops. With GA2100, customers enjoy performance efficiencies matching HPLC-based systems. Owing to its convenient Directspray™ sample introduction, simplified user interface and touchscreen, customers can collect ion mobility data more quickly than other IMS systems can. No other company in the global ion mobility spectrometry market allows customers to enjoy HPLC-level accuracy in terms of sensitivity and resolution, on-site. Such flexibility in terms of usability, matching diverse application needs—both in-lab and on-site—increasingly encourages customers to opt for Excellims’ products.

Design precision and hardware robustness are two important aspects that have made Excellims’ offerings more tenacious than competing products in the area of on-field performance. Customers, therefore, enjoy a satisfying experience, marked by highly reliable product performance and timeliness of analysis results, without having to face common issues as is the case with the traditional systems, such as machine downtime, low productivity, and the need for regular maintenance. These aspects make Excellims’ offerings more acceptable among targeted customers than those of its competitors.

Application Diversity

A key application of HPIMS technology is cleaning verification in the pharmaceutical manufacturing process. HPIMS has been used to confirm the cleanliness of pharmaceutical manufacturing equipment between batches of production. In the future, HPIMS is poised to offer rapid monitoring capabilities for online pharmaceutical manufacturing. Indeed, with the unique capability of the HPIMS, there is a lot of potential for adoption in biopharmaceutical process monitoring applications. Excellims’ HPIMS technology also finds adoption in security-related applications. For instance, it is used in the detection of explosives and controlled substances. Excellims’ HPIMS offers a high selectivity explosive detection system that can significantly reduce false alarm rates. In addition, HPIMS offers the unique advantage of detecting homemade explosives that cannot be detected with state-of-the-art analytical instruments.

One of the applications that is rapidly adopting the technology is on-site food and drug product inspection. It has been widely used by the FDA in the US and other countries for counterfeit drug, and food/drug adulterant screening. HPIMS is also being used for quality

GA2100 for on-site measurement



control and process monitoring purposes in the food and beverage industry and has immense potential for future applications, which include rapid detection of biomarkers in biological fluid for medical diagnostics.

Price/Performance Value

In its bid to offer customers the best value for their money, Excellims aims to provide high-quality solutions at competitive prices. The company is well known in the market for its ability to offer high-performance hybrid spectrometers; however, to make these products more affordable and without compromising on the quality, the company is planning to develop solutions catering to particular applications. In this way, not only would the equipment’s manufacturing cost be lowered but also complications associated with its operation would decrease. For instance, GA2100 is originally a highly flexible device, with the capability to connect with up to 4 different sample introduction front-end modules, indicative of the company’s effort to offer customers the best performance, matching the high price of the product. However, the company is, currently, in the process of making GA2100 a specialized food authenticator device, to both simplify the functional mechanism and bring down the operational cost. With such an initiative, Excellims is looking to drop the price of its HPIMS technology-based equipment into the range of $60,000 in a context where the average price of traditional mass spectrometers is $100,000.

Customer Ownership Experience

To ensure a fulfilling ownership experience, Excellims offers solutions matching customers’ specific needs and expectations. It strictly follows up with customer feedback about the performance of its offerings post sales. The company develops solutions by understanding the dynamics of the industry, the nature of changing applications, and evolving customer needs. Offering solutions that address such changing preferences and application needs is imperative to match customers’ requisite level of satisfaction. For instance, the US FDA, a repeat customer, has used Excellims' new features that help in detecting anomalies in drug compositions. Excellims also helped its customers, in the food and beverage industry to develop a QC solution for material inspection based on its GA2100 product, and worked with US NIST to customize its MA3100 product to enable new experiments. Successful implementation of these features has encouraged the customers to opt for Excellims’ solutions repeatedly. Moreover, the company constantly remains in contact with its customers and implements their suggestions in its products to ensure its products can deliver the requisite level of efficiency unmatched in the market.

Conclusion

Excellims’ proprietary High Performance Ion Mobility Spectrometry (HPIMS) technology is groundbreaking in enhancing the scope of application of the ion mobility spectrometers from being used exclusively for in-lab research to being deployed for on-site high performance chemical analysis and report generation. Used primarily in the areas of pharmaceuticals, food and drug authentication, and explosive detection, HPIMS-based



equipment offer customers cutting-edge resolution, sensitivity, and an accuracy level at par with that of the HPLC-based equipment. Moreover, in terms of ease of deployment, persistent resolution power, as well as mobility and detection of non-volatile compounds, the solutions, namely GA2100 and MA3100, offered by Excellims stand out from those of its competitors in the global market. Because of its strong overall performance, Excellims is recognized with Frost & Sullivan’s 2016 Enabling Technology Leadership Award.



Significance of Enabling Technology Leadership Ultimately, growth in any organization depends upon customers purchasing from your company, and then making the decision to return time and again. In a sense, then, everything is truly about the customer—and making those customers happy is the cornerstone of any long-term successful growth strategy. To achieve these goals through technology leadership, an organization must be best-in-class in three key areas: understanding demand, nurturing the brand, and differentiating from the competition.

Understanding Enabling Technology Leadership Product quality (driven by innovative technology) is the foundation of delivering customer value. When complemented by an equally rigorous focus on the customer, companies can begin to differentiate themselves from the competition. From awareness, to consideration, to purchase, to follow-up support, best-practice organizations deliver a unique and enjoyable experience that gives customers confidence in the company, its products, and its integrity.



Key Benchmarking Criteria

For the Enabling Technology Leadership Award, Frost & Sullivan analysts independently evaluated two key factors—Technology Leverage and Customer Impact—according to the criteria identified below.

Technology Leverage Criterion 1: Commitment to Innovation Criterion 2: Commitment to Creativity Criterion 3: Stage Gate Efficiency Criterion 4: Commercialization Success Criterion 5: Application Diversity

Customer Impact Criterion 1: Price/Performance Value Criterion 2: Customer Purchase Experience Criterion 3: Customer Ownership Experience Criterion 4: Customer Service Experience

Criterion 5: Brand Equity

Best Practice Award Analysis for Excellims Decision Support Scorecard To support its evaluation of best practices across multiple business performance categories, Frost & Sullivan employs a customized Decision Support Scorecard. This tool allows our research and consulting teams to objectively analyze performance, according to the key benchmarking criteria listed in the previous section, and to assign ratings on that basis. The tool follows a 10-point scale that allows for nuances in performance evaluation; ratings guidelines are illustrated below.

RATINGS GUIDELINES

The Decision Support Scorecard is organized by Technology Leverage and Customer Impact (i.e., the overarching categories for all 10 benchmarking criteria; the definitions for each criteria are provided beneath the scorecard). The research team confirms the veracity of this weighted scorecard through sensitivity analysis, which confirms that small changes to the ratings for a specific criterion do not lead to a significant change in the overall relative rankings of the companies.



The results of this analysis are shown below. To remain unbiased and to protect the interests of all organizations reviewed, we have chosen to refer to the other key players as Competitor 2 and Competitor 3.

Measurement of 1–10 (1 = poor; 10 = excellent)

Enabling Technology Leadership Technology Leverage

Customer Impact

Average Rating

Excellims 9.0 9.0 9.0

Competitor 2 8.0 8.5 8.2

Competitor 3 7.0 7.0 7.0

Technology Leverage Criterion 1: Commitment to Innovation Requirement: Conscious, ongoing adoption of emerging technologies that enables new product development and enhances product performances

Criterion 2: Commitment to Creativity Requirement: Technology is leveraged to push the limits of form and function, in the pursuit of “white space” innovation

Criterion 3: Stage Gate Efficiency Requirement: Adoption of technology to enhance the stage gate process for launching new products and solutions

Criterion 4: Commercialization Success Requirement: A proven track record of taking new technologies to market with a high rate of success

Criterion 5: Application Diversity Requirement: The development and/or integration of technologies that serve multiple applications and can be embraced in multiple environments

Customer Impact Criterion 1: Price/Performance Value Requirement: Products or services offer the best value for the price, compared to similar offerings in the market

Criterion 2: Customer Purchase Experience Requirement: Customers feel like they are buying the most optimal solution that addresses both their unique needs and their unique constraints

Criterion 3: Customer Ownership Experience Requirement: Customers are proud to own the company’s product or service, and have a positive experience throughout the life of the product or service

Criterion 4: Customer Service Experience Requirement: Customer service is accessible, fast, stress-free, and of high quality



Criterion 5: Brand Equity Requirement: Customers have a positive view of the brand and exhibit high brand loyalty

Decision Support Matrix Once all companies have been evaluated according to the Decision Support Scorecard, analysts can then position the candidates on the matrix shown below, enabling them to visualize which companies are truly breakthrough and which ones are not yet operating at best-in-class levels.

High

Low

Low High

Cu

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er I

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act

Technology Leverage

Excellims

Competitor 3

Competitor 2



The Intersection between 360-Degree Research and Best Practices Awards

Research Methodology Frost & Sullivan’s 360-degree research methodology represents the analytical rigor of our research process. It offers a 360-degree-view of industry challenges, trends, and issues by integrating all 7 of Frost & Sullivan's research methodologies. Too often, companies make important growth decisions based on a narrow understanding of their environment, leading to errors of both omission and commission. Successful growth strategies are founded on a thorough understanding of market, technical, economic, financial, customer, best practices, and demographic analyses. The integration of these research disciplines into the 360-degree research methodology provides an evaluation platform for benchmarking industry players and for identifying those performing at best-in-class levels.

360-DEGREE RESEARCH: SEEING ORDER IN THE CHAOS



Best Practices Recognition: 10 Steps to Researching, Identifying, and Recognizing Best Practices

Frost & Sullivan Awards follow a 10-step process to evaluate award candidates and assess their fit with select best practice criteria. The reputation and integrity of the Awards are based on close adherence to this process.

STEP OBJECTIVE KEY ACTIVITIES OUTPUT

1 Monitor, target, and screen

Identify award recipient candidates from around the globe

• Conduct in-depth industry research

• Identify emerging sectors • Scan multiple geographies

Pipeline of candidates who potentially meet all best-practice criteria

2 Perform 360-degree research

Perform comprehensive, 360-degree research on all candidates in the pipeline

• Interview thought leaders and industry practitioners

• Assess candidates’ fit with best-practice criteria

• Rank all candidates

Matrix positioning all candidates’ performance relative to one another

3

Invite thought leadership in best practices

Perform in-depth examination of all candidates

• Confirm best-practice criteria • Examine eligibility of all

candidates • Identify any information gaps

Detailed profiles of all ranked candidates

4 Initiate research director review

Conduct an unbiased evaluation of all candidate profiles

• Brainstorm ranking options • Invite multiple perspectives

on candidates’ performance • Update candidate profiles

Final prioritization of all eligible candidates and companion best-practice positioning paper

5 Assemble panel of industry experts

Present findings to an expert panel of industry thought leaders

• Share findings • Strengthen cases for

candidate eligibility • Prioritize candidates

Refined list of prioritized award candidates

6 Conduct global industry review

Build consensus on award candidates’ eligibility

• Hold global team meeting to review all candidates

• Pressure-test fit with criteria • Confirm inclusion of all

eligible candidates

Final list of eligible award candidates, representing success stories worldwide

7 Perform quality check

Develop official award consideration materials

• Perform final performance benchmarking activities

• Write nominations • Perform quality review

High-quality, accurate, and creative presentation of nominees’ successes

8 Reconnect with panel of industry experts

Finalize the selection of the best-practice award recipient

• Review analysis with panel • Build consensus • Select winner

Decision on which company performs best against all best-practice criteria

9 Communicate recognition

Inform award recipient of award recognition

• Present award to the CEO • Inspire the organization for

continued success • Celebrate the recipient’s

performance

Announcement of award and plan for how recipient can use the award to enhance the brand

10 Take strategic action

Upon licensing, company may share award news with stakeholders and customers

• Coordinate media outreach • Design a marketing plan • Assess award’s role in future

strategic planning

Widespread awareness of recipient’s award status among investors, media personnel, and employees



About Frost & Sullivan Frost & Sullivan, the Growth Partnership Company, enables clients to accelerate growth and achieve best in class positions in growth, innovation and leadership. The company's Growth Partnership Service provides the CEO and the CEO's Growth Team with disciplined research and best practice models to drive the generation, evaluation and implementation of powerful growth strategies. Frost & Sullivan leverages almost 50 years of experience in partnering with Global 1000 companies, emerging businesses and the investment community from 31 offices on six continents. To join our Growth Partnership, please visit http://www.frost.com.

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2016 global ion mobility spectrometry enabling technology … · 2016. 9. 1. · best practice...

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