Web Industries announces opening of new LFI production facility

Jul 30 2016

Web Industries, Inc., innovative provider of precision contract manufacturing and converting services, is proud to announce the opening of the company's first lateral flow immunoassay (LFI) production facility. Co-located within the company's existing Web Boston location, the Lateral Flow Diagnostics Center of Excellence will provide companies marketing LFI tests with a one-stop outsource manufacturing solution that offers a reliable path from small-scale test development to high-volume commercialization of new LFI devices. The 6,500 square foot environmentally-controlled facility was purpose-built for automated reel-to-reel medical device production and features an in-house biochemistry lab, reagent deposition, LFI strip manufacturing, device assembly, and packaging stations.

With the opening of this facility, Web Industries becomes the only US-based non-competing medical CMO to offer automated reel-to-reel LFI strip manufacturing, device assembly, and packaging services at commercial-scale volumes (>10MM). This allows Web to leverage its precision flexible material converting and multi-layer device manufacturing expertise and give companies marketing LFI devices a trusted contract manufacturing solution when bringing new tests to market.

LFI devices are rapid diagnostic tests that typically provide results in less than 15 minutes, often without processing at a centralized lab. Home pregnancy tests are a very common example of an LFI device. Historically used for point-of-care medical testing, the demand for LFI tests is increasing as the technology
is adopted by other life science, environmental safety, veterinary, and food and beverage industries.

"We're excited to bring these unique production capabilities and capacities to the LFI device market," said Mark Pihl, President and COO of Web Industries. "Recent medical and environmental issues have demonstrated the strong need for easily deployable rapid tests, and our company's long history of success in the IVD test, diagnostic strip, and medical consumable markets position us as the manufacturing partner LFI marketers can rely on to help safeguard personal and public health."

Web Boston is the company's Center of Excellence for Medical Manufacturing and specializes in medical-grade material converting, device assembly, and the production of diagnostic tests. The company has manufactured many long-running, high-volume clinical diagnostic and personal health monitoring product programs that have been responsible for more than 100 billion medical tests over the past two decades, and the new LFI facility will create additional high-tech manufacturing jobs in the region.