Building the Smart Factories of Tomorrow
Two days in Lausanne, one stand, and the same question coming up again and again: how does promising technology actually make it into a validated plant?
01 Innovation in PAT is accelerating
One of the strongest themes across the event was the continued development of Process Analytical Technology. New sensors, analytical platforms and AI-supported methods are creating opportunities to understand processes in greater detail, generate better real-time data and ultimately improve process control.
02 Most of it stops at the GMP boundary
Talking to the companies around us, a pattern emerged. A lot of impressive work is being done on process development, analytics and AI-supported optimisation, and much of it stops at the point where a process has to run in a GMP facility. That last step is a different discipline: DCS and MES configuration, data integrity, qualification. It is rarely the same people, and it is usually where projects stall.
WHERE ROCKSTONE FITS
We help bridge the gap between process innovation and manufacturing execution, bringing together the engineering, automation and digital layers required to turn promising technology into an operational, automated and validated manufacturing solution.
Connecting with industry in Lausanne
Beyond the discussions around PAT and smart manufacturing, ILMAC provided a valuable opportunity to hear directly from manufacturers, engineers, technology providers and project teams about the challenges they are facing.
A recurring theme was the importance of integration. As manufacturing environments become increasingly digital and data-driven, the connection between process, equipment, automation, MES and validation becomes even more important. For Rockstone, these conversations provided valuable insight into where projects are heading and where specialist engineering support can make the greatest impact.
Thank you to everyone who visited the Rockstone stand, joined the discussion and connected with the team throughout ILMAC Lausanne 2026. We look forward to continuing those conversations.
What struck us in Lausanne was how many companies are solving different parts of the same problem without ever meeting in the middle. The smart factories of tomorrow will be built by connecting process innovation, PAT, automation and validated execution from the beginning.