Abstract
Automation of chemistry at a pharmaceutical company commonly entails bringing commercial solutions in-house, reproducing manual processes with a robot, or integrating multiple instruments to eliminate human intervention. A strategy of industrializing proven approaches, while financially justifiable, however, does not encourage innovation. On the other hand, trying to automate unproven or difficult processes may seem to be risky but can actually accelerate the adoption, modification, or rejection of novel technologies. Having chemists and engineers work together to develop automation that accelerates the development and evaluation of innovative concepts is one blueprint for delivering a competitive advantage to an organization.