How to reduce turnaround time

Reducing turnaround time is a priority for many modern laboratories. Whether working in pharmaceuticals, biotech, food and drink, or academic research, labs are under increasing pressure to deliver results faster without compromising quality or compliance.

Turnaround time refers to the total time it takes for a sample or process to move from initiation to a final, usable result. Long turnaround times can create bottlenecks, delay decision making, and limit a lab’s overall capacity. This article explores practical ways to reduce turnaround time and explains how laboratory automation, including robotic systems, can play a role in achieving more efficient workflows.

Why reducing turnaround time matters

Slow turnaround times are rarely caused by a single issue. Instead, they tend to emerge from a combination of manual steps, resource constraints, and process variability.

Common impacts of long turnaround times include:

• Backlogs of samples waiting to be processed
• Increased pressure on laboratory staff
• Delays in downstream analysis or manufacturing decisions
• Greater risk of errors as workloads increases

As laboratories scale their workloads, manual processes often struggle to keep pace. Reducing turnaround time is therefore closely linked to improving throughput, consistency, and operational resilience.

Identifying the causes of long turnaround times

Before looking at solutions, it is important to understand where time is being lost. In many labs, delays are caused by:

Manual, repetitive tasks
Tasks such as pipetting, weighing, dispensing, and sample transfers consume significant operator time. These steps are often repeated hundreds or thousands of times, making them a major contributor to slow turnaround times.

Workflow bottlenecks
Even when individual instruments are efficient, poor coordination between steps can cause samples to queue between processes. This is particularly common in multi stage workflows involving preparation, analysis, and quality control.

Human variability
Manual handling introduces variation between operators, shifts, and sites. Rework caused by inconsistencies or errors extends turnaround times and reduces confidence in results.

Automate high impact tasks first
One of the most effective ways to reduce turnaround time is to automate tasks that are:

• Time consuming
• Repetitive
• Prone to human error

Instrument level automation, such as automated liquid handling or gravimetric dosing, can immediately shorten processing times while improving consistency.

Connect processes into automated workflows
Beyond individual instruments, connecting multiple steps into a coordinated workflow can significantly reduce idle time between processes. Workflow automation allows samples to move seamlessly from one stage to the next, reducing manual hand offs and waiting periods.

Enable walk away operation
Fully automated or “walk away” systems allow laboratories to continue running unattended for extended periods, including overnight. This increases effective operating hours without increasing headcount, directly contributing to faster turnaround times.

The role of automation systems in reducing turnaround time

Laboratory automation systems are designed to perform tasks with consistent speed and precision. Rather than replacing scientific expertise, they handle the repetitive physical work that slows laboratories down.

Automation systems can help reduce turnaround time by: (change ideas to include labman products/projects)

• Maintaining consistent cycle times across long runs
• Eliminating delays caused by manual setup and handling
• Reducing rework by minimising common errors such as mispipetting or mislabelling

At Labman, automation systems are typically integrated as part of a wider system that combines hardware, software, and data capture. This integrated approach ensures that automation supports the entire workflow rather than accelerating one step while leaving bottlenecks elsewhere.

Reducing turnaround time without sacrificing quality

Speed alone is not enough. Reducing turnaround time must go hand in hand with maintaining data quality, traceability, and compliance.

Automation helps achieve this balance by:

• Standardising processes to improve reproducibility
• Capturing data automatically, reducing transcription errors
• Supporting regulated environments through controlled, validated workflows

By reducing variability, labs often find that faster processes also lead to more reliable results.

Automation is not only for large laboratories

A common misconception is that automation is only viable for large, high throughput labs. In reality, modern automation systems are increasingly modular and scalable.

Labs can start by automating a single bottleneck and expand over time as requirements grow. This staged approach allows organisations to reduce turnaround time incrementally while managing risk and investment.

Reducing turnaround time is less about working faster and more about working smarter. By analysing workflows, removing bottlenecks, and applying automation where it delivers the greatest impact, laboratories can achieve meaningful improvements in speed, consistency, and capacity.

Automation robots, when thoughtfully integrated into laboratory processes, play a key role in enabling these improvements. Rather than being a one size fits all solution, they form part of a broader strategy focused on efficient, scalable laboratory design.