Case Study: UPenn achieves rapid modernization of nanofabrication lab scheduling, billing and analytics with Mendix

UPenn Builds Custom App in a Week to Support Research Lab’s Unique Business Functions

The University of Pennsylvania’s Quattrone Nanofabrication lab faced a major operational gap: while the Singh Center for Nanotechnology invested in world‑class facilities, core IT—scheduling via an old calendaring tool, billing in Excel, paper logs and manual user authorizations—was slow, labor‑intensive and provided no useful analytics, hindering timely invoicing, user management and reporting.

To fix this, a team of three lab staff used the Mendix platform to build a customized application in under a week that replaced legacy scheduling, billing and analytics systems. The app introduced equipment‑health dashboards, automated invoicing (saving roughly one professional week per month), met tight budget and deployment deadlines, and gave the lab faster, actionable reporting that supports operations and future grant activity.

UPenn

Noah Clay

Director, Nanofabrication, University of Pennsylvania