REGROUPING, REFORMING AND REENGINEERING - APPLYING ROBOTICS TO NEW CHALLENGES

This paper describes the effects of re-engineering, or business proces s engineering, on the pharmaeutical industry. It then extrapolates the re-engineering fever to the field of analytical chemistry and shows t hat the use of automation will concomitantly increase over the next se veral years. This will require a fresh look at projects and situations that can be automated, as well as those thought previously non-automa table. The ability of laboratory personnel to 'think out of the box' w ill dictate their rise or fall as successful analysis.