LabCorp is an organization that is certainly thriving in today’s economy. Even though its stock value has decreased over the past year, it has still been a very successful company. It was an honor to be able to sit down with the Vice President of the headquarters. His presentation was detailed and informative. When we went around and introduced ourselves and said what we hoped to learn from the visit, it seemed as if most of our class did not really have an understanding of LabCorp’s mission. After the presentation, I had much better understanding of what the company does as well as the history of LabCorp. It was interesting to hear about how the company came to be. The layout of the headquarters is like that of a college campus. The different types of labs are spread out throughout multiple buildings, with a warehouse containing all of the supplies located across the street. The tests LabCorp conducts are very important, if not essential, to the success of other companies and the economy. Because LabCorp is a national company employed by the government, they have to meet the highest standards of performance. It is important that they remain ahead of their opposition, Quest, so that they continue to be the best at what they do. After touring the building and hearing about some of the equipment, I see no signs of Quest passing LabCorp in the near future.
The tour was very informative. It was great to hear about the company and then go see day to day tasks with my own eyes right after. I was blown away by the size of the building as well as the amount of equipment within the headquarters. One thing that stood out for me was the importance of automated machines. These machines increase efficiency, as well as lower the cost of supplies and human labor. Members of LabCorp designed these machines themselves, and they cannot be found anywhere else in the country. Once LabCorp distributes similar machines to other labs around the country, it will experience much more success. I was also amazed by the power of one the machines. Apparently, if I were to take a shot of my favorite alcohol and throw it into a pond and stir it all up, this machine would be able to tell me the concentration of the alcohol as well as what type with just one sample. At the end of the tour, our group was reminded of a harsh reality that the employees can face on a day to day basis. When talking about kidney stones, we were reminded that LabCorp employees are the ones that discover that someone may only have six months to live.
LabCorp is a company with a lot of moving parts, and it was a privilege to tour the headquarters of such a successful organization.
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