Functional Structure ^
The company’s functional structure includes the following subsystems:
• Laboratories
• Work Performed
• Laboratory Personnel
  -Internal Communication
  -External Communication
• Laboratory Equipment
• Management of Samples - Exhibits
• Laboratory Examinations
• Management of Results
• Quality Control
  -External quality control
  -Internal quality control
• Scientific Management
• Statistical Processing
• Data Security
• Technical Support
• Public & International Relations
• Financial Management
• Administrative & Secretariat Support

BRIEF DESCRIPTION ^
In summary, the functions of the subsystems include:


Laboratories ^
The premises at our facilities are arranged into four independent laboratories: Firearms, Tools, Serial-Number Restoration and Keys - Locks. They possess the required logistical and technical infrastructure for the assigned examinations, and their construction specifications follow all modern and internationally accepted standards.

Work Performed ^
Beyond the activities and the offered other services - activities, as these are described in detail on our website, we participate in:
• Research programmes,
• Educational programmes, as well as
• Programmes for the assurance and management of the services provided.

Laboratory Personnel ^
The personnel structure is covered through:
• Internal communication
  It includes all entities within the company with which the company communicates, the required procedures and the data exchanged.
• External communication
  It includes all entities outside the company with which the company communicates, the required procedures and the data exchanged.

More specifically, the personnel consists of permanent and cooperating specialists as follows: Firearms and Toolmarks examiners, Keys - Locks examiner, chemists of various specializations, biologists, forensic pathologists, psychiatrists, naval architects, forensic document examiners, specialists in forgery, counterfeiting and falsification, digital evidence and Internet examiners, telecommunications specialists, audio - voice & video examiners, photographic examiners, fingerprint specialists, mechanical-engineering specialists in traffic-accident investigation, fire and explosion investigation specialists, statistical-analysis researchers, economists - tax consultants and specialists in security-study preparation.
In addition, mainly final-year students from Greek educational institutions are employed, either for practical training or for the preparation of various assignments.

Laboratory Equipment ^
The equipment is renewed and improved on a permanent basis. The equipment to date includes: comparison microscope connected to a PC with dedicated software, stereoscope, distance meter, endoscopes, chemical-fume extraction device, special key-decoding machine, special precision-measuring devices (calipers, micrometers, conductivity meters, etc.), analytical and precision balances, photographic bench, photographic cameras and video cameras, PC hardware, printers, scanners, photocopier, as well as basic small equipment (refrigerators, thermometers, mixing vials, etc.).
The organizational and functional structure of the company is supported by dedicated software for the modern management of our individual subjects and activities.
For examinations requiring additional equipment, these are performed in specially equipped laboratories.

Management of Samples - Exhibits ^

• Management of objects submitted for examination.
  -Receipt.
  -Archiving.
  -Delivery, where required.

The movement of samples and exhibits, as well as the required sampling procedures, is carried out with means and personnel of the Laboratories, in accordance with the legislation in force at the time, and relates to the performance of laboratory examinations considered necessary for the handling of the cases assigned to us.
The samples - exhibits are coded before entering the Laboratory and are managed according to the procedures provided by our quality system.

Laboratory Examinations ^

• Management of objects submitted for examination.
  -Processing.

When the object under examination enters the Laboratory, it bears a code marking that refers to the protocol of the assigned case, so that its internal movement is ensured, and it is stored in a specially configured area.
Laboratory examinations are conducted through the application of scientific and technical methods that are internationally recognized, scientifically documented, judicially admissible and consistent with the legislation in force at the time. During their conduct, depending on the subject, the laboratory-examination protocols provided by our quality system are followed.
For examinations requiring additional equipment, the company cooperates with recognized external and university laboratories.

Management of Results ^
• Management of results.
  -Recording of results.
  -Drafting of Reports.
  -Submission of Reports.

The company’s results-management subsystem records and monitors all acts and functions carried out at our facilities - laboratories, as well as those related to our specialist associates, and concerns the recording of results, drafting and submission of reports, in accordance with the procedures provided by our quality system.


Quality Control ^
This company subsystem, under the supervision of the Quality Management Department and the Scientific Support Department, is responsible for preparing, recording, monitoring, improving and applying all acts, functions and methodologies followed at our facilities - laboratories, as well as those related to our specialist associates.
Quality control is performed by recording results on the basis of quality-control samples and includes statistical processing, graphical representation and maintenance of control charts, in both external and internal quality control.
External quality control
The laboratory participates in laboratory-examination programmes organized by international networks in which more than one hundred laboratories take part. The results of the various laboratories are collected and processed for each laboratory and are published in international scientific journals.
Internal quality control
Internal quality control is based on: assessment of each examiner’s competence, calibration/verification of laboratory equipment, regular monitoring of reference materials, and regular calibration and improvement of methods.

Scientific Management ^
This subsystem, under the supervision of the Scientific Support Department and the Legal Advisor’s Office, is responsible for:
• Maintaining a national and international scientific, legal and technical library, both physical and electronic.
• Foundation and documentation of cases according to national law, the scientific and technical training of the personnel and international standards.
• Research and improvement of methodology.
• Maintaining forensic collections of objects under examination, such as tools, keys - locks, fired cartridge cases and bullets, etc., to support examinations in general.
• Maintaining special databases of forensic interest and monitoring the release of their upgrades.
• Maintaining special laboratory software and monitoring the release of its upgrades.
• Training / further training of company personnel, through continuous attendance and participation in national and international conferences, seminars, etc.
• Preparation of educational programmes concerning theoretical and practical training of foreign laboratory personnel, as well as students from Greek educational institutions.
• Exchange of views and cooperation with corresponding national or international bodies.
• Monitoring whether methodologies applied internationally, both in laboratory and other examinations, have been modified or improved, and whether and in which fields new methods are applied.

Statistical Processing ^
Statistical processing includes the creation of statistical databases, using parameters of descriptive statistics, correlation and others, both for the laboratory examinations performed and for the cases generally assigned, as well as special statistical analyses of data.

Data Security ^
This subsystem includes:
• All necessary methodologies and procedures by which the system is protected against intervention by unauthorized users to enter, update, delete or even search laboratory data, while preserving judicial and corporate confidentiality in accordance with the applicable legislation.
• The safeguarding of data, such as assignment requests, objects of examination, documents, examination results and personal data.

Technical Support ^
This subsystem includes the implementation and support of applications, as well as regular inspection of equipment and reference materials. Indicatively, it includes:
• Creation and upgrading of special databases.
• Taking backups and storing them in a specially configured area.
• Regular checks of equipment and machines.
• Regular checks and upgrades of operating systems and other software.
• Capture of images and video signals from special machines and archiving them in databases.
• Analysis, evaluation and monitoring of the adequacy of reference materials, etc.

Public & International Relations ^
This subsystem is responsible:
• For ensuring the public image of the company. For this purpose, it designs and implements dedicated plans addressed to the public, so that the type and quality of the services provided can be understood.
• For communication, both physical and electronic, at national and international level.
• For the corporate organization of conferences and seminars.
• For the management and handling of complaints and observations from the public.
• For the operation of public-service telephone lines.
• For the website and other interactive tools, such as CDs and other digital material, printed material and, in general, wherever information about the company and its services is presented.

Financial Management ^
• In order to make sound decisions, the company’s management collects information on all necessary data concerning its operation. Indicatively, these include:
  -The operating cost of the laboratories and all other departments - offices.
  -The cost of laboratory examinations.
  -The cost of laboratory examinations performed by cooperating laboratories.
  -The cost of examinations performed by cooperating specialists.
  -Turnover per laboratory sector, specialist, etc.
  -The distribution and percentage of debtors.
• The Tax Consultant’s Office maintains, checks and monitors:
  -The balances of assigned cases and performed examinations.
  -The financial ledgers of assigned cases.
  -The documents, by category, for selected time periods.
  -The prescribed tax books, as well as the other tax and insurance obligations.

Administrative & Secretariat Support ^
The Secretariat is responsible for reception of clients, management of meetings and appointments, monitoring of court dates, management of financial debts, collection of revenue, communication with the tax officer and management of consumables.
Specifically, the functions of the Secretariat subsystem are:
• Management of clients.
  -Maintaining the client register.
  -Updating clients on the stage of the case.
• Management of meetings.
  -Maintaining the meeting book.
  -Scheduling.
  -Cancellation and rescheduling.
  -Printouts of scheduled meetings, daily and weekly.
• Monitoring of court dates.
  -Maintaining the court-date book.
  -Printouts of court dates, weekly and monthly.
• Management of financial debts and collection of revenue.
  -Updating clients’ obligations.
  -Clients’ pending matters.
  -Collection of debts.
  -Recording of collections.
  -Payment of debit documents.
  -Printing of documents.
  -Invoices for the provision of documents.
  -Receipts of collection.
  -Cancellation documents.
  -Credit documents.
  -Classification of documents.
  -Daily cash register.
  -Information on financial debts.
• Communication with the tax officer.
  -Sending all documents.
  -Insurance and other financial obligations.
• Management of consumables.
  -Monitoring the adequacy of consumables.
  -Procurement of consumables.
  -Classification of consumables.

Additional Quality-System Capabilities ^

• Connection of laboratory equipment to the System and automatic import of results into it.
• Laboratory communication and exchange of laboratory data with other bodies, such as state laboratories, other laboratories at national and international level, specialist examiners, etc.
• Communication and exchange of other data with other bodies - laboratories.
• Connection to the Athens Bar Association Legal Information Bank.
• Measurement-unit conversion system.
• Network connection - high-speed communication.
• System security.