There is no question that the pharmaceutical industry needs to take better advantage of emerging technologies to digitise and modernise the critical work that happens in the lab. In an age where the average four-year-old possesses expert iPad skills, too many labs still use paper notebooks to record experimental, material batch and equipment data and are overwhelmed and constrained by a multitude of repetitive and unnecessarily manual processes. Digitising data capture, process execution, knowledge-sharing and collaboration are imperative in today’s R&D environment. Every minute that drug manufacturers can shave from development, scale-up cycle times and quality reviews can potentially affect the bottom line.
It is important, however, not to confuse the act of deploying new technologies with an effective digital strategy. Most labs already have some digital systems and procedures in place. But the real question is how to ensure that technology investments result in tangible return on investment (ROI) for the long term. Money will be wasted if systems are purchased that people don’t use, that lock organisational knowledge into silos, or add to rather than alleviate the complexity involved in managing company process and quality data.
Not yet a Subscriber?
This is a small extract of the full article which is available ONLY to premium content subscribers. Click below to get premium content on Manufacturing Chemist.
Subscribe now Already a subscriber? Sign in here.