Have you ever heard of being too productive? It’s something everyone strives to be, and every business wants to have more of. But how can you achieve ultimate productivity? Through ultimate efficiency (amongst other things).
Automation has been praised for improving lab efficiency. In this blog, we’re looking at how automation does this and what solutions can be used to achieve productivity within your lab.
Why is it desirable for scientific organisations?
Lab efficiency makes sure that scientific organisations get the most out of their operations, and can also help to prioritise the wellbeing of staff. When processes are more efficient, it’s less tedious and safer for everyone involved.
When a lab is efficient, organisations can ensure higher output and increased scientific value – without wasting time or resource. How efficient a lab is equates to how productive it is, and of course the more productive you are as a scientific organisation, the better. It gives organisations a better chance of reaching the ground-breaking discoveries quicker.
It’s worth mentioning that when we talk about efficiency in this context, we’re talking about operational efficiency, and not energy efficiency, widely known as the LEAF framework.
7 Ways that automation in the lab can improve efficiency
Quicker data accessibility
Within labs, stepwise data is commonplace. Keeping track of this fragmented information can be time consuming for scientists – not to mention sometimes frustrating. The beauty of automated lab equipment is that it will, through LIMs, track and generate the digital data of activities it performs.
This kind of capability makes detailed reports accessible at the click of a button and makes sample identification much swifter – through autogenerating sample barcodes. This way, it is easier and quicker to draw insights, come to conclusions and make decisions based on your data.
Reduced turnaround time
Because of automation’s ability to speed up process cycles, aliquoting and plate replicating for example, it can reduce overall turnaround time within a lab. There are other factors within this that also help such as the reduction of manual errors and the speed of which automation can complete manual tasks – as opposed to a human – that help to reduce turnaround time, too.
With quality control not compromised, and enhanced if anything, organisations can hope to get drugs and medicines to the market quicker with certain lab automation technologies.
Cost enhancing
By decreasing the number of technicians needed in a lab, automation can provide economic benefits. Automation solutions allow for operation to scope beyond the 9-5 working hours, without the need to employ humans to work them – maximising productivity outside of usual hours.
So, not only can automation save on labour costs, but this increase in productivity – and therefore output and volume of work – makes it more financially viable too.
Returning to the topic of quality, when paired with advanced informatics and scheduling software, automation can reduce quality control costs, too. This is because automation can keep workflows and processes at a consistently high quality, without the need for extra people, tools or time to help achieve this.
Breaking down silos through digital transformation
Digital transformation is a part of the ‘fourth industrial revolution’. Welcoming digital solutions into your lab means driving growth and productivity, creating better processes and empowering your scientists.
The idea of having to implement new systems is of course a challenge, but automation holds great potential to improve many existing processes and operations. The data collected from lab automation systems can also make lab life more informed and efficient.
Data ecosystems have the possibility to link tacit knowledge (something known by only one person) with group knowledge (team knowledge) and transform it into organisational knowledge. And in this way, automation can help to break down information silos often found within the lab.
Read more: Lab automation in the life sciences industry
Reduces manual specimen handling
There are a range of automated systems that can automate specimen handling. These transport systems manage workflows between the pre-analytic, analytic, and post-analytic phases of testing and can noticeably improve efficiency within the lab.
This once again frees up more time for the scientist, taking them away from limiting manual tasks. Additionally, handling specimens always needs to be done with great caution and the right protective gear. Automated specimen transport systems reduce these protocols.
Reduces human error, improving consistency
We’re all human and it’s okay to make mistakes. But, admittedly, it’s more efficient when we don’t. The good thing about automated technologies is that they are much, much less likely to make those small mistakes that humans are so prone to.
There are a lot of steps involved in prep and keeping track of samples in the lab. Automation can reduce errors typically associated with prep and also allows users to better track samples. With the ability to import tracking into the system’s software, samples are less likely to get lost, forgotten or misplaced.
Because of this more regimented and error-free process, automation is reliable for consistent outputs too.
Reduction in employee downtime
Challenges that result in downtime such as a shortage of staff, employee turnover, or technician training can be mitigated with lab automation technologies. An automated machine already knows how to do sample preparation and plating, so there’s no need for training. And, it can keep running day after day – without the worry of it leaving for another job!
Labs that are short staffed can still maintain efficiency by allowing automation equipment to carry on preparing samples and so on while technicians run other key tests in the lab.
Striving for progress
While there are a lot of ways that automation can optimise efficiency within the lab, it can come with challenges. Adopting automation will mean changes for your staff and the operations in your lab, it can also be costly, and the use cases need to be carefully considered.
However, when chosen for the right tasks, automation solutions can enhance productivity within the lab and help to progress your organisation; moving quicker but without compromising on quality.
Laboratory automation solutions are alleviating scientists from mundane tasks and giving them more freedom to innovate, create, experiment and discover. Lumi is one of these solutions; an intelligent AI, vision-based solution that captures and analyses operational and experimental data.
Through a LabEye camera, Lumi observes experiments – and automation systems – and uses machine learning to analyse the details. The technology is quick to set up and easy to use, so you won’t have to worry about any teething issues.
An extra pair of eyes, ears, and a brain in the lab, Lumi is a next-generation technology, augmenting scientists to excel.
Want to know more about Lumi? Discover our 21st century automation tool here.