Pharma Automation: Choosing the right opportunities to create value

Where will automation create meaningful operational value while supporting quality, compliance, flexibility, and resilience?

09.09.2026 | Article Summary, first published in 'Automation World' by Cate Davis, Miebach

Executive Summary

Pharmaceutical manufacturers should prioritize automation where it creates measurable operational value without compromising quality, validation requirements, flexibility, or patient safety. The goal is not to automate every process that can be automated. Manufcaturers in the Pharma industry need to focus on identifying where automation best supports manufacturing performance, resilience, and long-term operational strategy.

It’s not about automating everything- it’s about finding the right opportunities to create real value.”
- Cate Davis, Global Pharma and Life Sciences Industry Lead, Miebach

Why pharma automation requires a selective strategy

Pharmaceutical manufacturing operates under requirements that make automation decisions especially complex. Quality controls, validated processes, cleanroom environments, sanitation requirements, and patient-safety considerations can limit where and how automation should be applied. As a result, technical feasibility alone is not enough to justify an automation investment.

A process may be possible to automate but still require flexibility, human judgment, manual quality oversight, or the ability to adapt quickly to changing products and operating requirements. The better question is therefore:

Where will automation create meaningful operational value while supporting quality, compliance, flexibility, and resilience?

How should pharmaceutical manufacturers evaluate automation opportunities?

A practical pharma automation assessment should consider four factors:

1	Operational value Will automation improve productivity, reliability, responsiveness, or resilience in a meaningful way?
2	Quality and compliance requirements Can the automated process operate within the required quality, validation, sanitation, and patient-safety standards?
3	Required flexibility Will the process need to accommodate changing products, volumes, demand patterns, or operating requirements?
4	Strategic fit Does the investment support broader manufacturing and supply chain priorities rather than solving an isolated operational problem?

Considering these factors together helps manufacturers distinguish between processes that are technically automatable and opportunities where automation can create sustainable value.

Where can automation create value in pharmaceutical manufacturing?

Potential opportunities can exist across physical and digital operations.

Material handling can be evaluated where repetitive movement, productivity, reliability, or operating resilience create a strong case for automation.

Production and supply planning may benefit where technology can improve responsiveness to changing demand and operating requirements.

Digital twins can support the evaluation of manufacturing and operational scenarios before changes are implemented in the physical environment.

Predictive analytics can support more proactive operational decision-making where sufficient and appropriate data is available.

The appropriate solution depends on the requirements of the individual operation. These technologies should therefore be evaluated as part of the wider manufacturing strategy rather than as standalone technology investments.

When should a pharma process remain manual?

Automation is not automatically the best option. Processes may require a greater degree of human involvement when they depend heavily on judgment, manual quality oversight, frequent adaptation, or operational flexibility.

The decision should therefore compare the value created through automation with the additional complexity it introduces. For pharmaceutical manufacturers, a highly automated operation is not necessarily the objective. A resilient, compliant, flexible, and high-performing operation is.

Connecting automation to manufacturing strategy

Automation investments have the greatest strategic relevance when they support broader operational priorities.

Pharmaceutical and life sciences leaders should therefore evaluate automation alongside questions such as:

Where are current productivity or resilience constraints?
Which processes require human judgment or manual quality oversight?
How could future products or demand patterns change process requirements?
What validation, quality, or sanitation requirements must the solution support?
How does investment contribute to wider manufacturing and supply chain priorities?

This shifts the automation discussion from “Can we automate this?” to “Should we automate this, and what value will it create?”

Expert perspective: Cate Davis

Cate Davis is Miebach’s Global Pharma and Life Sciences Industry Lead and North America Business Development Lead. Her expertise includes supply chain transformation, operational strategy, material handling automation, and growth strategy for life sciences organizations.

In her Automation World article, “Quick Take: Why Pharma Can’t Automate Like Everyone Else,” Davis examines why pharmaceutical manufacturers need to evaluate automation in the context of their broader operational strategy.

Read Cate Davis’ full article in Automation World: Quick Take: Why Pharma Can’t Automate Like Everyone Else

FAQ

Pharmaceutical manufacturers operate within strict quality, validation, sanitation, and patient-safety requirements. Automation decisions must therefore account for more than productivity or technical feasibility. The right solution needs to create operational value while remaining compatible with the requirements of a regulated manufacturing environment.

No. A process should not be automated simply because automation is technically possible. Manufacturers should consider operational value, compliance requirements, flexibility, complexity, human judgment, and quality oversight before deciding whether automation is appropriate.

A selective approach starts with the operational problem rather than the technology. Manufacturers should identify where automation can measurably improve productivity, resilience, or responsiveness and then assess whether the solution supports quality, compliance, flexibility, and broader manufacturing priorities.

Potential opportunities include material handling, production and supply planning, digital twins, predictive analytics, and other processes where technology can create measurable operational value. The appropriate level of automation depends on process requirements, regulatory constraints, required flexibility, and strategic priorities.

Automation investments should be evaluated against operational value, quality and compliance requirements, required flexibility, and strategic fit. Manufacturers should also consider future products, demand patterns, supply chain complexity, and patient-safety requirements before committing to a solution.

Manual or human-supported processes may remain appropriate where judgment, flexibility, frequent change, or manual quality oversight are important. The objective should be the operating model that creates the greatest overall value - not the highest possible level of automation.

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