History

FIA (originally called Fluid Innovation & Automation) was founded in 1987, in the Ideon Incubator (Lund), as a start-up specialising in the development of customised apparatus and instrument design.

Key milestones, events and products are presented below:

1990 – 1999

• Mobile liquid dispensing equipment was developed and became the main product during this period.
• In 1995,  www.fia.se was registered.
• Manufacturing of robot modules for Astra’s (now AstraZeneca) robots for Turbuhaler analysis.
• Resale of Alitea’s laboratory products.
• Development of an instrument for the testing of drug release from chewing gum together with Pharmacia (Nicorette): a new masticatory apparatus was developed, followed by an apparatus for the content analysis of nicotine in chewing gum.
• In 1997 AB FIA Odarslövs Mölla was founded with four employees.
• Automated weighing of chemical salt dissolution and dilution recipes – BufPrep.
• 1999 AB FIA relocated from Östra Odarslövs Mölla (a mill, soon to be integrated in the Science Village of MAX-lab and ESS!) to the premises at Öresundsvägen in Lund.

• Automated foreign particle analysis of dry powder inhalers was developed.
• An automated labelling, filling and sealing system was developed for reagents and drugs.
• 2003 FIA relocated to Södra Sandby.
• Agreement with Erweka GmbH to distribute the Chewing Apparatus world-wide.
• Export of Chewing Apparatus to Canada, Denmark, England, Germany, India, Ireland, Korea, Japan, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland, Uruguay and the US.
• A pressure-controlled Chewing Apparatus with torque measurement was developed in collaboration with our customers.
• FIA and IH Konsult developed a tobacco cutter for chewing tobacco for Multivac and Swedish Match.
• FIA started the resell for G Diehm Glasbläserei GmbH, Gebr Rettberg GmbH and Bohlender GmbH.

• Prototypverkstaden was founded, a machine shop in Lund at Medicon Village specialising in prototyping and manufacturing.
• Continued sales of Chewing Apparatus, glassware, dispensers and prototypes.
• Breathing Profile Generator built for Emmace, member of Medicon Valley Inhalation Consortium, capable of generating complex breathing profiles.
• Several fully automated tailor made systems for a major pharma company. The systems are used for screening as well as pharmacopoeial testing of dry powder inhalers within R&D and production quality control.