INTERPHEX 2025: AI and Automation in Pharma

Automation is being utilized in the areas of quality, throughput, and operator autonomy within the pharmaceutical industry, according to Peter Sarvey, head of Sales for Automation NTH, and the cost of using automation has decreased in the past two years. Meanwhile, the accuracy of these tools is increasing.

The use of artificial intelligence (AI), which has been used in the “vision side” of automation according to Sarvey, is also increasingly starting to be used in the inspection side of manufacturing.

“When we have a lot of part variation, we're not just programming pick and place, or motion based on preset points. So, we move to an area, and then we use the AI vision to tell us, where is that exact part or how much has that part changed? So, it actually allows the automation to move more seamlessly,” Sarvey says. “And then the other side of that is on the inspection side of things. There are a lot of inspections that previously were done manually, because it's not a simple pattern match for if this medical device or this pharmaceutical component is a reject. Now we can teach the AI what a good part looks like, what a bad part looks like, and then over time, shift that area too, all in the nature of increasing throughput and decreasing yield loss.”

Pharmaceutical Technology® Group spoke with Peter Sarvey at INTERPHEX 2025, which is being held in New York City from April 1–3. Automation NTH can be found at Stand 3061.

Click above to watch the interview.

About the speaker

Peter Sarvey is Head of Sales for Automation NTH, a specialist in semi-automated and fully automated solutions for a broad array of manufacturing applications, including pharmaceuticals and medical device production. With a focus on next-gen robotics and controls, the company’s services include custom automation, equipment optimization and automation consulting. www.automationnth.com