Category Archives: Blog

Blog

Welcoming a New Leader

Beta Star promotes Kevin Robb, multi-faceted manufacturing and sales expert, to market area manager.

Honey Brook, PA – Effective Monday, February 3rd, Beta Star Life Science Equipment is under new leadership. Kevin Robb, multi-faceted manufacturing and sales expert, accepted a promotion to bring his manufacturing efficiency and creative sale solution experience to the Beta Star team. Under Robb’s leadership, the group will push to spread the promise of Simple. Reliable. Sterilization.™ to biotechnology, general research, pharmaceutical, and vivarium facilities across North America.

The transition happened swiftly as Robb’s experience with Beta Star owner R-V Industries made it a seamless transition to the role of Market Area Manager for Beta Star.  In his latest role as Plant Manager with R-V, Robb led the manufacturing operations of the Honey Brook headquarters which included the oversight of the manufacturing of all Beta Star autoclaves. Before that role, Robb was a sales development professional in the custom fabrication division of R-V, where he created unique solutions to complex spacing and process efficiency issues for industrial process customers.

Kevin Robb, new market area manager of Beta Star

For customers, the rest of the Beta Star team will remain unchanged. For sales needs, Bill Purvis and Lynn Johnson will remain sales managers of the Eastern and Western portions of the USA. For service needs, the department will remain under the leadership of Todd Houck. The addition of Robb represents R-V’s continued commitment to the success of Beta Star by bolstering the resources and manufacturing knowledge available to customers. Robb is replacing Kevin Putt, VP of Sales for R-V, who was also serving as interim market area manager of Beta Star.

“I’m excited to take on the leadership of the Beta Star Life
Science Equipment market area,” said Robb. Being able to work to improve sales development and manufacturing processes while effectively pairing our team’s skills with customer-serving initiatives helped make this opportunity so enticing. I look forward to seeing our team grow while helping to advance people forward in their respective careers.”

For Beta Star customers, Robb plans to take a two-pronged approach
to providing the industry with a reliable, cost effective, and world class
solution to fill sterilization needs. “Building a nationwide network of sales reps to come alongside our existing reps, while cutting manufacturing and sales turnaround lead times will help Beta Star continue to grow its reach as a sterilization equipment and service provider,” added Robb.

Beta Star is a unique solution in the sterilization industry, as 38 years of experience as an autoclave manufacturer and service provider partners with R-V Industries 260 employees to form a dependable partnership for biotechs, research firms, and pharmaceutical companies.

Beta Star serves as a proudly American autoclave manufacturer and service provider based out of Honey Brook, PA. All sterilization equipment is built with serviceability in mind, as Beta Star was founded in 1982 as a steam sterilizer service provider. Today, Beta Star services hundreds of customers around the world in the biomedical, university, and vivarium sectors by simply and reliable creating sterilization solutions.  

For more information, or to connect with Kevin, visit Kevin and follow Beta Star on LinkedIn.

Blog

Custom Autoclave Integration Solutions

Unique Customer Problem: Unnecessary Utility Consumption

For a recent customer, we supplied an equipment package of 11 autoclaves, varying in sizes from 20” x 20” chambers to bulk chambers, for a new state-of-the-art vivarium laboratory at a renowned medical school in the South Central US. The Beta Star team, with it’s raw plate to FAT approach, completed the design and manufacture at it’s company headquarters. Using company monitored warehouse space, Beta Star was able to store the sterilizers until the new building was completed.

autoclave control system integration
Autoclave Control System Integrations

After sterilizer installation and user training was completed, an issue which drove a significant increase in heat loss to room. In the bulk autoclave room, a vent fan was installed to pull out the heat released to the room once the sterilizer door is opened upon cycle completion. As designed, this step was a manual process that had to be written into the customer’s Standard Operating Procedures and executed by the laboratory technician. Not only was this process dependent upon manual execution after cycle completion and door unseal, it required that all cycles be completed during working hours to effectively mitigate heat loss to room. In addition, it frequently became a missed step for the laboratory technicians, who were rightly focused on conducting and monitoring their research.

The Beta Star Solution: Building Management System (BMS) Integration

From the outset of problem discovery, the customer and Beta Star’s Controls Engineering Team goal was to automate the fan operation to reduce utility consumption generated by the sterilizer’s heat loss to room. The custom developed plan, spearheaded by the Controls Team, created a connection between the new facility’s Honeywell Building Management System (BMS) and the Allen Bradley PLCs that power all Beta Star sterilizers. Through this connection, the exhaust fan system in the bulk sterilizer rooms would start upon door release and operate for 15 minutes. All of the parameters, such as fan initiation and operation time, were customized to suit the customer’s desires, and are programmable through their in-house BMS.

Are you experience problems with sterilization facility processes? Looking for a way to automate process steps to free up your technicians to focus on the search? Get in touch with Beta Star for a review of your existing problems.

Blog

Visit Beta Star at 2019 AALAS Meeting

sterilizer video preview

This year, Beta Star will be returning to exhibit at the American Association for Laboratory Animal Science (AALAS) National Meeting in Denver, Colorado. At the 70th(!!!) Annual Meeting, Beta Star will be doing live demonstrations at Booth #469 of our latest innovation in door technology, the Slide and Swing Sterilizer Door. The totally revamped slide and swing mechanism maintains a tight footprint with the same dependable machined groove for dependable sterilizer door seal gasket performance and longevity.

The secret to the revamped design lies in the modular fabrication of the door itself. Through a unique effort by our engineering team, the door design allows the door to be left and right configured after fabrication is completed, helping speed the lead time for our customers by increasing inventory numbers with convertible sterilizers.

Want to see how it works? Visit our Booth (#469) at the National Meeting during the following exhibit hall hours:

  • Mon., October 14th: 8:30 AM – 5:00 PM
  • Tue., October 15th: 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
  • Wed., October 16th: 9:00 AM – 1:00 PM

If you’re a service technician, make sure to grab your Technician Fun Fair questionnaire and visit our Booth, as we will help you answer your Beta Star question and give a cool pet giveaway for all Fun Fair participants!

SIMPLE. RELIABLE. STERILIZATION.â„¢

sterilizer video preview
Innovation Starts in Honey Brook

Beta Star is a international provider of steam sterilization equipment and service for vivarium, research laboratory, and pharmaceutical facilities with BSL-3 and cGMP grade sterilizers. We consistently support our customers’ unique needs through product innovations like the Slide and Swing Door, Lift and Swing Door, and Split Bulk Sterilizer solutions.

Want to learn more? Click the image to watch our video.