There is a well-established vision for the Lab of the Future, one that leverages the most powerful tools of automation and information technology to become more efficient, flexible and environmentally sustainable when it comes to R&D.

However, it’s not enough to simply deploy digital scanners, smart shelves and other IoT technologies. To take full advantage of these digital technologies, existing workflows may need to be “disrupted” and transformed to fully integrate and make effective use of these technologies. The ultimate digitalization goal: reduce waste, maximize resource utilization and significantly improve how research data is captured, shared and harnessed to reach critical conclusions faster.

In our newest white paper, we explore:

• Key challenges and trends limiting the effective use of digital technologies
• How fragmentation affects lab informatics and leads to costly inventory and equipment management issues
• Techniques and management tools for improving information flow to help identify bottlenecks and outdated workflows
• Powerful, simple new tools like smart shelves and, in future, “digital twins” that can be implemented to rapidly advance lab digitalization
• Comprehensive, systematic approaches to digitalization that blend hardware, software and workflow redesign