Mass spectrometers have generally improved in the past ten years due to better materials and manufacturing techniques. However, these improvements have been small compared to the progress in computers during the same period.

Since 1976, ProLab Resources has shown that the most cost-effective way to achieve an overall MS performance improvement is to replace the existing data system, not the instrument. By replacing older data systems with modern, multitasking PCs, performance is brought up to state-of-the-art Y2K compliant levels at about 25% of the cost of a new instrument. Over 1400 ProLab Resources data systems have been installed worldwide on instruments made by Hewlett Packard (HP), Finnigan, Extrel, Nermag, Vestec, and Varian.

Many laboratories have grown over the years, not through a well orchestrated program, but through a process of evolution. In the GC/MS lab, this evolution usually manifests itself in an array of different instrument models, often from more than one manufacturer. This can result in "chaos" for information flow in your laboratory.

By replacing the older data system technology with either VECTOR/TWO or ENVIROLINK data systems from ProLab Resources, the MS laboratory can be integrated into a single, distributed configuration that meets modern laboratory demands for flexibility and growth. This greatly improves information flow, access and reliability --- thereby, increasing the overall productivity of the laboratory at a fraction of the cost of new instruments.