Fabulous at 40 – a fact for every year of LGC AXIO Proficiency Testing
The story of LGC AXIO Proficiency Testing began in 1984, with the launch of our first-ever proficiency testing (PT) scheme. In the 40 years since then, we’ve constantly leveraged our technical expertise and influence to stimulate improvements in PT and quality assurance - working in harmony with both our customers and industry experts with the goal of continuously Driving Quality Together. Telling the tale of how we’ve grown into one of the world’s leading PT providers would take a very big book, because the last four decades have been so complex and fast-moving. So here’s all you really need to know about us, in just 40 facts.
From then to now
A 40-year drive
LGC launched its first PT scheme in 1984 – so we've been Driving Quality Together for 40 years.
Pioneering PROTAS
Our first PT scheme was PROTAS, which assessed alcohol producers on their ability to test for a range of analytes in different alcohol types.
Advancing towards accreditation
When LGC first started providing PT, it followed ISO/IEC Guide 43:1984 Development and operation of laboratory proficiency testing. Since then, these guidelines have evolved into full accreditation, with LGC AXIO now conforming to ISO/IEC 17043:2023.
Constantly running water quality
Our industry-leading AQUACHECK Water Chemistry scheme has meanwhile been running since 1985, and now has over 100 samples and 1,000 analytes.
Bigger and better
As recently as 2011, we had just under 60 people in the AXIO team. In 2024, have more than 100.
Notable numbers and letters
We’ve always been Number 1!
LGC was in the first pilot group of PT providers to be accredited under ISO/IEC 17043 - we were accredited by the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) in 2010, and our UKAS number is 0001!
We’re alphabetically accomplished
... because we offer analytes ranging from A(flatoxins) to Z(inc)!
Queuing up for QMS
QMS Food Microbiology is our largest PT scheme, with almost 3,000 labs taking part globally in 2024.
Queen QWAS
Established in 2002, the QWAS Water Microbiology Scheme wears the crown for the world's largest water microbiology programme, with over 1,000 participating laboratories.
Tons of choice
The QFCS Food Chemistry scheme encompasses more than 500 analytes and 100 individual samples.
Embracing the new
In 2024, our product development team added 54 new samples to our portfolio, updating our offering across all our sectors.
Nice to see you again...
We're proud to supply over 2,700 proficiency tests annually, with many provided multiple times a year, and our most popular up to 12 times.
A truly global network
Another A-Z from AXIO
LGC AXIO Proficiency Testing provides PT schemes to labs from Albania to Zimbabwe, meaning that our laboratory network is truly global.
Bury: our beating heart
Our head office is in Bury, UK. From there, we develop, produce and dispatch our samples to laboratories all around the world - and our customer support team provide them with year-round assistance.
International reach
We have offices in nine countries, and our team speak 12 different languages - helping us to serve our customers in more than 165 different nations.
Parlez vous PORTAL?
We offer guides for PORTAL, our best-in-class reporting system, in English, French, Spanish, Italian, German, Polish, Chinese and - new for 2024 - Portuguese.
Cool (for customers)
Many of our samples are lyophilised, meaning they are frozen quickly and then subjected to a high vacuum, which preserves and helps them to remain stable as they travel to their destination labs around the world.
Proud to offer PORTAL
Arise, SIR REPORT-A-LOT!
When we were brainstorming a name for PORTAL, one light-hearted suggestion was ‘SIR-REPORT-A-LOT’. Then someone noticed that this Arthurian name contained the letters ‘P-O-R-T-A-L’, so we decided to go with that (because we’re not silly).
Systems, systems, systems!
We've employed many different data systems over the years, including IDRIS, ADARS, ADARS 2, ERS, and PT Manager. But in 2009, they were all harmonised in PORTAL.
The power of 10
In 2014, our PORTAL system processed just over 300,000 PT results – but our growth for the next 10 years was so phenomenal that we now process more than 10x more results each year (or 3,657,373 in 2023).
Too much to type
Forty years ago, our results were typed in manually. But today we use PORTAL 2.0, and the number of data points we run each year would be impossible for a human to enter.
PORTAL’s 13
Our PORTAL reporting system allows laboratories to submit up to 13 results per analyte, while just three of these are nominated for the laboratory’s final score. This means that many analysts at our participant labs can benefit from our PT performance reports, whilst still preserving data integrity.
From weeks to days
40 years ago, it used to take up to six weeks to post performance reports to our participants after they’d faxed their results in. Today, PORTAL provides reports and more in an average of just six working days!
All-encompassing analytes
QMS: world’s widest analyte range
The QMS Food Microbiology scheme has the most extensive analyte range of any comparable scheme in the world – ranging from routine pathogens and indicators to rare analytes like Shigella and probiotic bacteria.
Making AIR testing light work
To create our Air & Stacks Emissions scheme (AIR), we worked with the UK Health and Safety Executive (HSE) to create a scheme that provides an integrated solution for all laboratories undertaking air sample analysis.
Searching out SARS-Cov-2
In May 2020, we launched our SARS-CoV-2 Scheme to help ensure that labs around the world could accurately test for the virus. It boasted the world’s largest range of relevant samples - enabling testing in human materials, wastewaters, masks and more.
The ‘Big Six’ STEC strains
Unlike other proficiency testing providers, we provide real STEC strains for O26, O45, O103, O111, O121 and O145 – known as ‘the big six’ in the USA – as well as O157:H7.
Monitoring metal migration
We set up our NiMS (Nickel Migration) scheme for laboratories that determine nickel release in articles which come into contact with skin, because nickel released from jewellery is the most common cause of allergic contact dermatitis.
Firing up forensics with FAE
One of our more niche schemes, Forensic Analysis for Explosives (FAE), allows participants to gain ISO/IEC 17025 and ISO/IEC 17020 accreditation for the analysis of trace explosives and associated chemicals.
Toy testing - and beyond!
Our TOYTEST scheme originally only tested toys (hence the name). But today, it supports safety in kinds of consumer products, including leather, magnets and jewellery.
Cheers (malts and beers)!
BAPS: for breweries of all sizes
A long-standing partnership with Campden BRI, our Brewing Analytes Scheme (BAPS) has been supporting breweries big and small since 1989.
MAPS – supporting quality brewing worldwide
Our MALT Analytes (MAPS) scheme supports European Brewing Convention (EBC), American Society of Brewing Chemists (ASBC) and Institute of Brewing and Distilling (IBD) methods – helping breweries maintain product quality wherever they are in the world.
Pampering our participant labs
Keeping it real
The matrices we use in our clinical schemes are authentic – meaning that our participants are sent samples of real blood, hair, oral fluid and urine.
A wealth of water choices
AQUACHECK’s popularity is based largely on the extremely broad choice of available water types it offers customers: including hard, soft, potable, ground, waste, effluent sludge, recreational, and marine waters.
Setting standards
Trusted by the best
LGC AXIO Proficiency Testing is one of the most popular PT providers in the world – providing 19 out of 20 of the top food and beverage companies with reliable PT schemes, many of them made to their bespoke specifications.
Staying in front
We stay at the forefront of thought leadership and innovation by carrying out research, creating whitepapers, and investigating important issues in the world of PT – such as food supplements and pollutants of concern.
Boosting brilliance
Over the years, we’ve worked with many brilliant industry experts to present our customers and stakeholders with informative webinars - on topics ranging from integrity in spice testing to the relevance of toxicology in clinical and forensic schemes.
Proud to be... LGC
We’re part of LGC Standards - a leading global manufacturer and service provider of quality assurance and research tools, including certified reference materials for food and beverage, environment, forensic, pharmaceutical, drug discovery and more.
Going the extra mile
Over the years, we’ve been delighted to join the rest of the LGC Group in supporting Save the Children via a variety of fundraising campaigns: currently, we’re walking the world to raise money!
And finally…
We leave you with just one more fact: that all of us at LGC AXIO Proficiency Testing are truly grateful to all of our customers for their support and co-operation over the last 40 years.
That’s because, by working together, we've enabled thousands of laboratories to test safely and accurately, in line with our purpose of using Science for a Safer World.
Whether you’re an old friend and partner, or a potential new one, we invite you to browse our extensive range of world-class PT schemes, which have been 40 fantastic years in the making.
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