LAKEWOOD, Colo., USA — The Community Blood Center (CBC), based in Appleton, Wisconsin, is the fifth U.S. blood center to implement the Reveos™ Automated Blood Processing System and Lumia™ Software Platform from Terumo Blood and Cell Technologies (Terumo BCT), a medical technology company and global leader in blood management solutions. With two devices now in use, CBC — which supports more than 40 hospitals and hosts over 100 blood drives every month1 — is modernizing its operations to better serve hospitals and patients across Wisconsin, Illinois and Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.
“Our mission — Connecting Lives | Sharing Life — is about showing up for our community,” said John Hagins, President and CEO of CBC. “With Reveos, we’re maximizing the impact of every donation, making sure each one meets a patient need and every patient gets the transfusion they require.”
Next-generation automation
Whole blood donations are common at community blood drives and blood centers. Those collected units of whole blood are usually separated, using a centrifuge, into their components — plasma, platelets and red blood cells.2 Healthcare professionals use the different blood components for various patients based on need.3
Reveos is the only whole blood automation device available in the U.S. that processes whole blood into its components in a single centrifugation cycle, significantly reducing what was once a 26-step manual process.4 For the CBC team, this has helped cut manual processing time by more than 60%, allowing staff to focus on critical needs such as making special blood products and fulfilling emergency orders.
“In a region where weather, staffing and donor availability can fluctuate, automation offers a critical buffer,” said Ashleigh Kees, Vice President of Operations at CBC. “This helps ensure we have products available for patients at all times, particularly for rural hospitals where timely access to blood products can be lifesaving.”
Operational impact and product quality
The Reveos system can process up to four units of blood in less than 30 minutes, giving blood centers a faster way to produce platelets from whole blood donations. Reveos helps supplement platelets collected through apheresis — a process through which a component is separated and collected from a single donor’s blood using a special device — and supports inventory needs during periods of high demand.
With Reveos, CBC can achieve higher platelet yields, resulting in more transfusion-ready products.
“It means a lot to us to have these donations, and we treat them with the highest integrity to ensure they’re safe for transfusion,” said Tanner Lenz, Product QC Technical Coordinator. “Reveos gives us added capacity — more dependable products, faster, and with greater confidence that they’ll pass quality control.”
A strategic partnership for community impact
Blood centers across the country are exploring ways to strengthen platelet supply and improve reliability.5 Industry leaders such as Bill Block, CEO of Blood Centers of America, say CBC’s investment demonstrates how local centers can play a role in shaping the future of blood collection.
“Appleton’s adoption of Reveos reflects increasing interest among blood centers in modernizing operations and diversifying platelet sources,” said Block. “This kind of innovation is essential to sustaining the blood supply nationwide.”
Terumo BCT has supported CBC throughout implementation, providing training and operational guidance.
“We’re proud to partner with CBC on this milestone,” said Chetan Makam, General Manager of Global Blood Solutions at Terumo BCT. “Their commitment to innovation reflects how community blood centers are embracing scalable, data-driven technologies to streamline operations and help meet critical needs.”
Blood donation: A community lifeline
While automation strengthens efficiency, CBC leaders emphasize that blood donors remain at the heart of the system.
“Blood has no substitution,” said Kym Kraemer, Manager of Manufacturing Operations and Product Management at CBC. “It has to come from a volunteer, and every single person has the ability to save up to three lives with their donation.”6
Adds Ashleigh Kees, “Donating blood is easy, and you walk away knowing you’ve done something profound — you’ve saved a life and made a difference in someone else’s future. With Reveos, we can maximize the impact of every single donation and ultimately help more patients spend more days with their loved ones.”
About the Reveos Automated Blood Processing System
Whole blood units are collected from donors and have traditionally been separated into components — platelets, plasma and red blood cells — using a manual method that took up to 26 steps. Reveos simplifies this process and eliminates over half of the steps. The system aims to help blood centers manage staffing and improve overall efficiency by obtaining more blood products from the same number of donors. It has been used around the world for more than a decade. Reveos is expected to help U.S. blood centers meet the growing demand for platelets, which control bleeding and are used to treat patients facing trauma, as well as cancer and other chronic conditions.
Up to four units of whole blood are loaded into Reveos. The rotor spins, and the whole blood is separated into components. Plasma, platelets and red blood cells are expressed into their respective product bags, and each bag is sealed. After the procedure, the data is recorded on Terumo BCT's Lumia Software Platform, which connects with Reveos to help blood centers achieve operational targets.
Availability varies by region and country. Reveos™ is either a registered trademark or a trademark of Terumo BCT, Inc. in the United States and/or other countries. See TerumoBCT.com/Trademarks for details.
About The Community Blood Center
Founded in 1955, The Community Blood Center (CBC) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing a reliable, local blood supply. CBC partners with more than 40 hospitals and hosts over 100 community blood drives each month, serving patients throughout Wisconsin, Illinois, and Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. With donor centers across the region and a strong network of volunteer donors, CBC’s mission — Connecting Lives | Sharing Life — reflects its commitment to saving lives through blood donation and community engagement.
About Terumo BCT
Terumo Blood and Cell Technologies is a medical technology company. Our products, software and services enable customers to collect and prepare blood and cells to help treat challenging diseases and conditions. Our employees worldwide believe in the potential of blood and cells to do even more for patients than they do today. This belief inspires our innovation and strengthens our collaboration with customers.
Terumo Blood and Cell Technologies' customers include blood centers, hospitals, therapeutic apheresis clinics, cell collection and processing organizations, researchers and private medical practices. Our customers are based in over 160 countries across the globe. We have 750+ granted patents, with more than 150 additionally pending.
We have global headquarters in Lakewood, Colorado, U.S.A., along with four regional headquarters, eight manufacturing sites and six innovation and development centers across the globe. Terumo Blood and Cell Technologies is a subsidiary of Terumo Corporation (TSE: 4543), a global leader in medical technology.
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1. The Community Blood Center. Accessed November 25, 2025. https://www.communityblood.org/
2. America’s Blood Centers. About blood. Accessed October 31, 2025. https://americasblood.org/for-donors/aboutblood/.
3. Basu D, Kulkarni N. Overview of blood components and their preparation. Indian J Anaesth. 2014;58(5):529-537. doi:10.4103/0019-5049
4. Cid J, Comasòlivas N, Pérez-Aliaga A, Illingworth N, Cardoso M. Comparison of automated versus semi-automated whole blood processing systems: A systematic review. Vox Sang. 2023;118(4):263-271. doi:10.1111/vox.13400
5. American Red Cross. Red Cross declares emergency blood shortage, calls for donations during National Blood Donor Month. January 7, 2024. Accessed November 25, 2025. https://www.redcross.org/about-us/news-and-events/press-release/2024/red-cross-declares-emergency-blood-shortage-calls-for-donations-during-national-blood-donor-month.html
6. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. Donate Blood. Save Lives. Updated June 12, 2025. Accessed November 25, 2025. https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/education/blood/donation
