When Flygt moves its head office to Sundbypark in Sundbyberg on the outskirts of Stockholm, Sweden, in the spring of 2004, the Research & Development laboratory will be housed in brand new facilities. The new lab has been in the planning for several years, and reflects needs and wishes voiced by many company employees. "Flexibility is the key word for the new lab," says Jan Lundkvist, project manager for the lab at ITT Flygt's head office. "It's difficult to predict what requirements will be placed on the development division in the future, so we have tried to make the new building as flexible as possible, even on the drawing table." Indeed, the plans show an overhead crane system that covers almost the entire floor space in the lab. The position of the test rigs can be changed without having to alter the overhead crane system. In addition, there are overhead crane holders incorporated into the ceiling above the offices, and the office floor can support the same weight as the lab, so the office can easily be converted into a lab at a later stage, if necessary. "The additional cost was limited, since we included this possibility from the very beginning," says Lundkvist. However, the new lab will probably not run into any capacity problems for a long time, as the bottlenecks that existed in the old lab have been eliminated. The pump test rig basin will be bigger and will have a removable partition that can, in effect, double the capacity, allowing two tests to be carried out simultaneously. In the old tank, complicated tests involving special equipment and time-consuming assembly and disassembly often prevented the test rig from being used for other, simpler tests. "Set-up times were long when we carried out complicated tests -- an annoying bottleneck that we have done away with," says Lundkvist. Another advantage of the new installation is that field tests can be carried out in the lab. Pump stations have been set up that can accommodate long operating times and many starts and stops in prototypes and new pump constructions. The new lab's increased efficiency and capacity are not only an advantage for ITT Flygt; many of the resulting benefits will be passed on to clients. "We will be able to increase the number of R&D projects and develop improved products more quickly," says Lundkvist. Meanwhile, he says, the development lab also has a public-relations function for ITT Flygt. The plant receives many external and internal visitors, and the company wants visitors to come away knowing that the technology being tested will be used in Flygt pumps of the future. "The difference between the old and the new lab is like going from a car repair shop to an aeroplane manufacturing plant," Lundkvist says. "The new lab is light and clean with high-tech equipment, a fact all visitors will notice." Excerpted from Impeller, the magazine for Flygt customers.			The new Flygt Lab under construction, and (bottom) project manager, Jan Lundkvist.