LIMS instrument integration is one of the slower, more manual jobs in regulated laboratories, and LabWare and Phizzle say they have a simpler way to do it. The two companies have announced LabWare Loop, powered by Phizzle, which connects scientific instruments directly to LabWare’s laboratory information management system (LIMS). Results move from the instrument into LabWare sample records without anyone typing them in.
The announcement came on 27 October 2026 (early on 28 October, India time). LabWare Loop is available to LabWare customers by request, while development continues towards commercial availability in early 2027.
Why LIMS instrument integration is hard
Regulated labs, such as those in pharmaceutical manufacturing, work under GxP rules, a set of good-practice guidelines for quality and safety. They must prove that the right instrument produced each result, that the data arrived intact and that it went into the correct sample tables.
According to the companies, that proof today depends on either manual processes or custom integrations. Manual methods include paper printouts, manual data entry and USB transfers, and these create gaps in data integrity. Custom integrations built for each device add IT overhead and more network endpoints that need security patches.
LabWare Loop is meant to replace both with a single connection that works with instruments from any vendor.
How LabWare Loop works
In a LabWare Loop workflow, an operator runs one or more tests based on the LabWare worklist. From there:
- The Phizzle Edge Puck captures the instrument’s data file along with metadata generated by the instrument
- Phizzle Connected Plant routes the file to LabWare with verifiable lineage and chain of custody
- The results automatically populate LabWare’s sample result records
The Edge Puck connects through USB, serial or Ethernet. Because of that, the companies say LabWare Loop works with both legacy and modern instruments without firmware changes or requalification. Instruments also stay isolated from the network.
The workflow supports the US FDA’s 21 CFR Part 11 rules on electronic records, the EU’s Annex 11 guidance on computerised systems and ALCOA+ data integrity principles.
What changes for lab teams
The companies describe benefits for three groups.
Lab technicians and operators move to review-by-exception. They no longer handle data by hand, which removes the transcription checks that manual entry requires.
Quality assurance and compliance teams get a chain of custody verified at every step and an automatically created audit trail. The companies say that because analysts no longer transcribe results, transcription errors and the investigations that follow them are eliminated.
IT teams onboard every instrument through the same process, regardless of type, make or model. Air-gapped instruments add no new network endpoints to patch, and the integration needs maintenance only when the network, data path or instrument changes.
Kyle Kershner, Co-CEO at LabWare, said the product extends LabWare’s reach to any instrument without custom integration work, removing manual transcription from GxP workflows. Ben Davis, CEO of Phizzle, said instrument integration has historically forced a trade-off between IT security and operational efficiency.
Who is behind it
LabWare describes itself as a unified laboratory informatics platform used by more than 30,000 laboratories and 2,500 companies across 125 countries. Phizzle builds hardware and software for instrument integration in regulated GxP environments.
As a writer, I feel this is a practical rather than flashy launch. Manual transcription is a well-known source of errors in labs, so a vendor-agnostic link could matter to quality teams. Still, the product is not yet commercially available, and the release does not share pricing, customer results or independent testing.
FAQ
What is LabWare Loop?
LabWare Loop, powered by Phizzle, is a LIMS instrument integration product that sends results from lab instruments directly into LabWare sample records without manual data handling.
Does it work with older instruments?
Yes, according to the companies. The Phizzle Edge Puck connects through USB, serial or Ethernet, so it works with legacy and modern instruments without firmware changes or requalification.
When will LabWare Loop be available?
It is available to LabWare customers by request now, with commercial availability targeted for early 2027.