Women in SCHOTT Minifab production facility

Contract manufacturing for diagnostic and life science

SCHOTT MINIFAB is a contract design and manufacturing organization with over two decades of experience partnering with diagnostic and life science firms worldwide. With a global manufacturing footprint spanning sites in Jena, Phoenix, and Melbourne, we offer unparalleled capabilities in glass, polymer, and microarray technologies. Our comprehensive support extends throughout the entire product development lifecycle, seamlessly transitioning from design development to manufacturing. Leveraging our pilot line capabilities and existing purpose-built infrastructure, we expedite your journey to market, ensuring swift and efficient delivery. Furthermore, our scalable production facilities allow us to seamlessly transition from pilot runs to dedicated automated production, catering to high-volume demands with precision and reliability.

Low volume pilot production: where ideas take flight.

Purpose-built infrastructure

Our pilot line employs a semi-automated approach, featuring dedicated modules for of our core capabilities, glass or polymer microfluidics and microarrays.

Customization

By picking and choosing the appropriate modules, we can develop a customize production process that meets your needs. We provide custom end-of-arm tooling and optimize processes for a tailored solution.

Lean methodologies

We believe the biggest early efficiency gains come from waste reduction. We prioritize process stability and then deploy Lean best practices to reduce cost without the need for expensive automation.

Scalability

Our stepwise approach enables us to scale production from tens of thousands of units per annum to multiple millions of units.
High volume manufacturing for diagnostic or life science research consumables. Packaging line with full automation.

High volume manufacturing for diagnostic or life science research consumables. Packaging line with full automation.

High volume automated production: scaling success

With an in-house automation team exclusively dedicated to consumable production lines, we ensure a seamless transition to high volume production as demand increases. We employ a range of automation approaches suited to different stages in the market and the product lifecycle. This includes low volume, semi-automated work centers, and dedicated high volume automation lines.  This allows you to control capital investment and concentrates on the highest ROI activities first. 

Blister packs
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Manufacturing blister packs for reagent storage

High volume production line
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High volume production line

Manufacturing microfluidic chip
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Manufacturing microfluidic chip

Packaging process on production line
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Packaging process on production line

Manufacturing and engineering collocated

Our manufacturing and development teams are collocated, working side-by-side, guaranteeing the highest application engineering. With experts spanning engineering and scientific disciplines, we are able to rapidly troubleshoot any issues and drive continuous improvement, throughout production. 
SCHOTT MINIFAB Cross functional team project meeting
Quality operator inspects batch of microfluidic chips.

Quality assured

Quality and compliance are non-negotiable. We adhere to exacting standards, ensuring our products consistently meet or exceed the highest quality.

ISO 6 & 7 cleanrooms

Our extensive cleanroom facilities are designed and built to comply with ISO 6 & 7 cleanroom standards. Our cleanroom areas feature ultra-filtered air, cascading pressure differentials, airlocks and procedural controls to ensure these spaces remain free of contaminants.
SCHOTT MINIFAB_Gown Lab Workers

We are certified

Our locations are certified to ISO 13485:2016 and ISO 9001:2015. Certificates can be provided upon request.

Collaborative partnerships

Collaboration is at the core of our values. We work closely with you to understand your unique needs and aspirations, fostering strong partnerships that lead to successful product outcomes.
Product Design

FAQs

New discoveries and innovations within the diagnostic and life science industries, lead to the need for design and manufacture of complex diagnostic instruments and consumables. SCHOTT MINIFAB is a manufacturer of diagnostic consumables, including fully integrated sample-to-answer consumables, custom spotted microarrays, flow cells for next generation sequencing and more.

We partner with our customers to optimize their product design for high volume manufacture with the highest possible quality and reliability at any scale. Downstream commercialization and manufacturing requirements are considered at the early stages of the project, de risking the product development, eliminating unexpected problems, and ensuring products meet. All of our systems and processes at each facility are certified:  SCHOTT MINIFAB Phoenix is certified ISO 9001: 2015, ISO 13485: 2016, SCHOTT MINIFAB Melbourne is certified ISO 14001:2015, ISO 45001:2018, and SCHOTT MINIFAB Jena is certified ISO 9001:2015, ISO 13485:2016, ISO 45001:2018, ISO 14001:2015. We are audited annually by our ISO certification partners.  This ensures products are fit for their intended purpose and meet the required quality and safety specifications.  Products must also comply with regulatory and marketing requirements.

Our partnerships are the cornerstone of our success. To help our customers realize commercial success of their product innovations, we define in-depth NDAs and adhere to strict design and development IP rights. For over 130 years, this has led to long term relationships, build on trust and integrity.

Yes, our manufacturing expertise and infrastructure provide the flexibility and efficiencies to go from prototype to pilot line to high-volume production, at the highest quality possible. Our fit-for-purpose pilot line uses an existing infrastructure, helping control costs and production levels. This provides the flexibility to scale from 100s to 10Ms, efficiently and effectively.

Creating a manufacturing line that is misaligned with demand can result in massive costs due to underutilized labor and exaggerated overheads. SCHOTT MINIFAB affords our clients flexibility when it comes to production volume, ensuring investments made in expensive high-throughput automation equipment are made only when needed, thus providing confidence you will see a return our investment. By partnering with SCHOTT MINIFAB, companies can focus on the core competencies of their business, reduce capital investment in facilities, equipment and technology, and enjoy the production flexibility that comes when working with SCHOTT MINIFAB.

Contact us for your manufacturing needs

Ready to embark on your manufacturing journey? Contact us today to explore how our manufacturing solutions can accelerate your success in the diagnostics and life sciences industries. Whether it’s low volume pilot production or high-volume production, we are here to bring your ideas to life and help you thrive.
Ken Rusterholz

Ken Rusterholz

Head of Product Development

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