Economic justification of laboratory automation

摘要

IntroductionIn these times of tight pharma R&D budgets, tightening academic budgets, and increasing merger and acquisition pressures (and following the burst of the biotechnology bubble), investments in laboratory automation demand justification beyond simple declarations that something is better or faster. Choices need to be analyzed to convince not only top management but also convince us that automation makes sense for an organization, be it an established pharmaceutical company, start-up biotech, or academic research center. Formal techniques exist to help complete this analysis and answer the key question posed by economic justification: Is this the best choice for an organization given limited funds?Laboratory automation is a technological endeavor. As such, existing economic tools and financial techniques can be used to compare technology and investments based on economic measures of effectiveness. These tools and techniques are often called economic analysis, engineering economy, or economic decision analysis. 1White J.A. Agee M.H. Case K.E. Principles of Engineering Economic Analysis.. John Wiley & Sons, New York1989Google Scholar, 2HEI Consulting Engineering Economy Glossary: http://www.hei.ca/eglossary.html.Google Scholar, 3Definition of Engineering Economy; Iowa State University class ConE241: http://www.public.iastate.edu/cone241/Engecn1.ppt.Google Scholar Traditionally used in engineering and manufacturing, these techniques have become ingrained into public sector decision making and therefore are taught widely. They run the gamut from a simple comparison of alternatives to defining the return on investment (ROI), cost-to-benefit ratios, breakeven analysis, and more. Luckily, a comparison of alternatives for laboratory operations needs only a subset of these methods. In this JALA Tutorial, we present a primer on the basics of engineering economic analysis and describe several common methods for justifying the introduction of automation into a laboratory using plenty of examples.The Present Economy StudyWhen judging alternatives, money follows one of two time frames: present economy or the time value of money. The easier of these two to understand is the present economy study, which ignores the way that the value of money changes with time. A present economy study is acceptable if one of the following criteria is met:1There is no investment of capital, only out-of-pocket costs.2After any first (capital) cost is paid, the long-term costs will be the same or proportional to the first cost, no matter which alternative is picked.3The alternatives will have essentially identical results regardless of the capital investment.These conditions allow the person comparing alternatives to view the choice as occurring only once and only right now.Example 1A lab needs to purchase extra nitrile gloves as a one-time event, and it has a choice between two suppliers. Both provide the same number of gloves per box, with the same specifications. This is a one-time purchase (i.e., not part of a standing order); there will be no costs at a future time associated with the various economic alternatives, and it is not a capital expense (meeting criterion 1 above). Therefore, only the price in the present economy is important. If one supplier’s product is $7 and the other’s is $9, then the most economically effective choice is the $7 purchase.Of course, this example is simplistic. More complexity can be added by taking into account quality issues or unquantifiable issues such as look and feel. Present economy studies come into use when various choices of equally capable equipment have different purchase prices but the same maintenance, support and consumable costs, and the same user acceptance. The purchase price at that time is the only factor needed to determine economic effectiveness.Costs TerminologyBefore looking at more realistic justifications involving the time value of money, we must define the types of costs (and income) that nee