Case Study: Arbor Biotechnologies avoids a $200K lab expansion with Elemental Machines

Arbor Bio leverages Elemental Machines usage data to reallocate $200K in the lab

Arbor Biotechnologies, a Cambridge, MA-based bio-discovery company, was growing quickly and needed to determine whether scientists’ claims that lab equipment was always unavailable were actually supported by usage data. The team, working with Elemental Machines, wanted to validate reservation-based scheduling data before approving a costly expansion of its BSL2 space and a new biosafety cabinet.

Elemental Machines installed Element-U devices on biosafety cabinets and a centrifuge to track real-time status and actual usage, allowing Arbor Biotechnologies to compare reservations against true equipment utilization. The data showed the existing BSL2 area still had capacity, helping the company avoid a $200,000 construction and equipment purchase, redirect spending toward higher-priority needs, and resolve discrepancies between scheduled and actual use.

Arbor Biotechnologies

Asiem Bhaskar

Scientific Operations Manager