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40 YEARS OF ACCURACY

Accuracy is in our DNA.
Always has been, always will be. 

Since day one, we’ve had a passion for accuracy

HemoCue’s founders were dedicated to accuracy. When they realized that hemoglobin results were often inaccurate, they vowed to find a better way.
Their devotion to accuracy still thrives at HemoCue. You might say that
accuracy is in our blood (pun intended!). Because we know how much it matters.

Our customers rely on our products to be precise every time they use them, so we insist on accuracy in everything we do. We are pleased to share some examples below.
Read about how it all started, how our operations teams went above and beyond to stay on time, and what it takes to maintain precision at a molecular level.

ON-TIME IN THE WORST OF TIMES

HemoCue’s operations teams overcame unprecedented challenges during COVID

Maintaining on-time delivery and keeping to accurate, meticulously planned schedules is always challenging. During a global pandemic, it can be nearly impossible.
COVID-19 created supply chain issues around the world. Companies were strained to the breaking point to obtain parts needed to fulfill orders.

HemoCue was no different, but came up with inventive ways to keep their deliveries accurate.

ON-TIME IN THE WORST OF TIMES

HemoCue’s operations teams overcame unprecedented challenges during COVID

Maintaining on-time delivery and keeping to accurate, meticulously planned schedules is always challenging. During a global pandemic, it can be nearly impossible.
COVID-19 created supply chain issues around the world. Companies were strained to the breaking point to obtain parts needed to fulfill orders.

HemoCue was no different, but came up with inventive ways to keep their deliveries accurate.

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THE QUEST FOR IMPOSSIBLE ACCURACY, PART 1: THE DREAM

How cuvettes produced with unprecedented precision went from dream to reality

The idea was simple. HemoCue’s founders, Jan Lilja and Sven-Erik Nilsson, wanted to produce microcuvettes that could draw in a sample of blood to be analyzed by a portable photometer.

The problem was that the microcuvettes had to be manufactured with seemingly impossible precision to ensure accurate measurement. Yet, Sven-Erik and Jan were not scared by the impossible. And their quest for impossible accuracy has since become an integral part of everything we do at HemoCue.

THE QUEST FOR IMPOSSIBLE ACCURACY, PART 1: THE DREAM

How cuvettes produced with unprecedented precision went from dream to reality

The idea was simple. HemoCue’s founders, Jan Lilja and Sven-Erik Nilsson, wanted to produce microcuvettes that could draw in a sample of blood to be analyzed by a portable photometer.

The problem was that the microcuvettes had to be manufactured with seemingly impossible precision to ensure accurate measurement. Yet, Sven-Erik and Jan were not scared by the impossible. And their quest for impossible accuracy has since become an integral part of everything we do at HemoCue.

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THE QUEST FOR IMPOSSIBLE ACCURACY, PART 2: PRECISION PRODUCTION

Making cuvettes to exact specifications requires timing, rhythm, and extreme attention to detail

HemoCue micro-cuvettes look deceptively simple. They are clear plastic rectangles with what resembles a bird’s eye and curved beak sticking out of one side. But the process involved in making them is exceptionally complex and is the result of 40 years of refinement.

More than 140 million cuvettes are produced every year, and each one must be exactly alike.

THE QUEST FOR IMPOSSIBLE ACCURACY, PART 2: PRECISION PRODUCTION

Making cuvettes to exact specifications requires timing, rhythm, and extreme attention to detail

HemoCue micro-cuvettes look deceptively simple. They are clear plastic rectangles with what resembles a bird’s eye and curved beak sticking out of one side. But the process involved in making them is exceptionally complex and is the result of 40 years of refinement.

More than 140 million cuvettes are produced every year, and each one must be exactly alike.

Read more



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JUST HOW SMALL IS A MICROMETER?

Imagine something small, then reduce it by powers of 10!

The distance between the walls of the “eye” of HemoCue’s cuvettes is measured in micrometers. But what exactly does that mean?

A micrometer, or micron, is a unit of length in the International System of Units equalling 1×10−6 meter. In other words, a micrometer is one millionth of a meter, or one thousandth of a millimeter. In other other words, really small.

For comparison, the width of a human hair ranges between 20 and 200 micrometers. The micrometer is so small that it is used for measuring miniscule objects, such as biological cells and bacteria.

JUST HOW SMALL IS A MICROMETER?

Imagine something small, then reduce it by powers of 10!

The distance between the walls of the “eye” of HemoCue’s cuvettes is measured in micrometers. But what exactly does that mean?

A micrometer, or micron, is a unit of length in the International System of Units equalling 1×10−6 meter. In other words, a micrometer is one millionth of a meter, or one thousandth of a millimeter. In other other words, really small.

For comparison, the width of a human hair ranges between 20 and 200 micrometers. The micrometer is so small that it is used for measuring miniscule objects, such as biological cells and bacteria.