Method Testing Labs Opens Second Florida Cannabis Lab

Method Testing Labs is multiplying. The Tampa, Florida, based cannabis testing company is opening a second location in Brandon, to the east of Tampa.

The second lab will span around 7,000 square feet (650 square meters) and house 30 new employees, primarily cannabis testers and other scientists.

“We are thrilled to open this lab. We knew that there was a great need for testing in Florida, but the response has exceeded even our expectations,” Method Testing Labs’ president Rob Radke said in a statement.

“With the new lab we will have fully redundant instruments, which means no downtime, plus increased testing capacity, and decreased turnaround times, which are already the fastest in the industry. We have again partnered with industry leader Agilent so our lab is equipped with the latest technologies, and our larger space means we will have a better layout and be able to create efficiencies.”

Method Testing Labs was the sixth cannabis testing company in Florida to be licensed by the state Department of Health, back in May 2021.

The company prides itself on its high level of digitized automation. Speaking to Analytical Cannabis earlier this year, Method Testing Labs’ CEO Keith Browning explained the process, known as a lean process.

“The lean process for us is about setting up the instruments and setting up the employees to be able to very quickly find what they need,” Browning explained. “[We] have it really easy for them to access anything that they need around their workstations and be able to do that in an efficient way.”

“We have in the lab these big screens telling you where every sample is in the process, so we know exactly where they’re at,” said Browning.

“Are they on the instrument? Are they in receiving? Are they in sample prep? Are there any issues with them? Are they on time? You’ve got the red, green, and yellow [screens]. Everything is always visual in that facility.”