How to Evaluate Laboratory Automation

Is this process a candidate

• High, sustained and predictable volume
• Stable, documented method with low variation between runs
• Repetitive manual steps consuming skilled analyst time
• Consistent labware, sample formats and containers
• Error-prone manual steps where consistency has real value
• Ergonomic or exposure risk in the manual approach

Scope realistically

• Consider partial automation of the worst steps before a full workcell
• Account for sample handling either side of the automated step
• Plan for exceptions, reruns and priority samples, which break rigid designs
• Confirm sample format standardisation is achievable upstream
• Assess whether throughput gain is limited elsewhere in the workflow

Ask about software and integration

• Which devices are supported, and who writes drivers for the rest
• Can your team develop and modify methods without the vendor
• How dynamic scheduling behaves with concurrent protocols
• Error handling and recovery when running unattended
• Integration with LIMS or ELN for sample identity and results
• Audit trails and data integrity capability if you are regulated

Support, validation and ownership

• Service response times, since a stopped workcell stops a workflow
• Spare parts and consumable availability and cost
• Installation, qualification and validation scope and responsibility
• Who owns the system internally, and their available time
• Training depth for method development, not just operation
• A realistic view of ongoing maintenance effort

Assess the case honestly

• Quantify hours released, and what those hours will actually be used for
• Include error reduction, consistency and capacity value where defensible
• Include validation, integration and maintenance effort as costs
• Ask what happens to throughput when the system is down
• Do not build a case on vendor throughput figures from ideal conditions

A note on pricing

We do not publish instrument or software prices. Real transaction prices depend on configuration, condition, accessories, service coverage, installation, region and negotiation, and published list figures are rarely what a laboratory pays. Where you need a figure to plan with, request quotations against a written specification.