Building a Digitalized End-To-End Process for Environmental Monitoring - a Lonza publication

Lonza set out to modernize its quality control (QC) laboratories by eliminating paper-based processes and reducing manual intervention through automation and digitalization.

To support this vision, Lonza implemented an end-to-end (E2E) automated environmental monitoring solution across four Cell & Gene Manufacturing sites in North America, Europe, and Asia.

By integrating the MODA-EM® Module with the Growth Direct® System, Lonza combined paperless EM workflows with automated incubation and microbial enumeration — creating a unified, compliant, and highly efficient QC process.

To our knowledge, this project represents the first industry implementation of a fully automated, end-to-end incubation and read-out process for environmental monitoring.

Impact and Outcomes

As a result of the E2E integration, Lonza achieved measurable improvements across accuracy, speed, and compliance:

More accurate testing
Automation significantly reduced human error and improved overall data integrity.

Faster time to results
The integrated solution reduced time-to-detection and overall time-to-result (TTR) to 72 hours, compared with up to 8 days previously.

Stronger compliance and standardization
Digital workflows and automated data handling improved consistency across sites, supported data integrity expectations, and reduced compliance risk — while also enabling operational cost savings.

Read the Full Lonza Case Study (PDF)