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Material Handling Automation for Life Sciences 

Connecting pharmaceutical facility design, automation and operations to accelerate the path to autonomous production

Material handling for life sciences

The future of life sciences manufacturing is shaped by smarter material handling. 

Jacobs integrates facility design, robotics, AMRs, cobots and digital systems to automate material movement across life sciences facilities, from feasibility through operations. 

What material handling automation enables

From manual tasks to meaningful work

Material handling automation reduces repetitive material movement, sampling and routine workflows, allowing teams to focus on the decisions, judgment calls and quality work that deliver therapies to patients faster. 

Safer, lower-risk operations

Reduce exposure to repetitive motion and manual material handling risks with autonomous systems designed for the realities of pharmaceutical manufacturing and Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) production. 

Enhanced quality and compliance

Minimize process variation and contamination risk while improving traceability and audit-readiness across every stage of pharmaceutical manufacturing. 

Greater operational resilience

Connected systems improve visibility and responsiveness, protecting production continuity as labor shortages and demand for complex therapies grow. 

Future-ready, flexible facilities

Build flexibility into life sciences facility design, enabling an automation footprint to scale up or down as needs, technology and demand evolve. 

Smarter capital investment

Supporting organizations to make capital decisions based on where it's most strategic to build, rather than where labor happens to be available. 

Core features  

Material handling automation master planning: Assess current-state operations, define automation maturity goals and build a phased roadmap that aligns facility design, workforce strategy and technology investment from day one. 

Facility and material flow design: Design corridors, airlocks, cleanroom layouts, major equipment integration and material flow paths that accommodate autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) and automated material handling alongside people in life sciences facility design. 

Dynamic material movement simulation: Model AMR routes, throughput and human-robot interactions virtually to de-risk design decisions before construction begins. 

Robotics and automation design: Co-create technical specifications, evaluate qualified vendors, and support RFI/RFP development and vendor selection for AMRs, pharmaceutical robotics and cobots.  

IT/OT architecture and connectivity: Design resilient wireless infrastructure, network segmentation and cybersecurity strategies that keep connected fleets and systems communicating reliably. 

Commissioning, qualification and validation (CQV) support: Guide quality and regulatory teams through the unique validation challenges associated with pharmaceutical manufacturing automation, autonomous and robotic systems in GMP environments. 

Material handling automation, explained

Material handling automation uses technologies such as AMRs, robotics and automated systems to move materials through manufacturing facilities with less manual intervention. 

By reducing manual handling, improving material flow and minimizing delays, material handling automation can increase efficiency while supporting consistent operations and future scalability. 

Successful implementation starts with understanding material flows, facility constraints, operational requirements and automation goals. Planning these elements early helps avoid costly redesigns later. 

Many existing facilities can accommodate automation, although corridor layouts, material flows, cleanroom configurations, utilities and digital infrastructure may require assessment or modification. 

AMRs automate the movement of materials between manufacturing, storage and support areas. When incorporated into facility design, they can improve material flow, reduce manual handling and support operational flexibility. 

Material handling automation connects the movement of materials, while robotics automates specific tasks such as handling, inspection or sampling. Together, they create more connected and efficient manufacturing operations. 

Autonomous production is a facility-wide approach that combines material handling automation, robotics, AMRs, cobots and digital systems with facility design to reduce manual intervention in manufacturing operations. 

Traditional automation adds discrete equipment to an existing layout. Autonomous production designs the entire facility — layout, material flow, IT/OT and workflows — around autonomous operations from day one. 

Corridor widths, airlock strategies, facility spatial relationships and wireless infrastructure determine whether robotics and AMRs can operate effectively. Retrofitting these elements later costs more than designing for them upfront. 

No. Human oversight remains essential for quality and compliance decisions, especially in highly regulated environments. Autonomous systems handle repetitive material movement and routine workflows so people can focus on higher-value work. 

Material movement, sampling, cleaning, inspection and machine tending are typically the first activities suited to automation, ahead of more complex, judgment-based tasks. 

We combine facility design, robotics engineering, IT/OT architecture and deep life sciences expertise to enable clients to plan, adopt and scale automation at their own pace. 

  • “Material handling automation is the future of pharmaceutical production facility design. This cutting-edge technology is leading our industry toward greater operational resilience and better patient outcomes.”
    MaryBeth Sukenick
    MaryBeth Sukenick
    Global Process Architect

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