As part of a highly regulated industry, pharmaceutical companies must perform various levels of product monitoring in the manufacturing process. In addition to product testing, the manufacturing environment must also be tested. This includes testing of the room, surfaces, air, and personnel throughout the manufacturing cycle. In large environments, this can involve a large number of samples that must be captured, tracked and reviewed after incubation. Julie Sperry at Rapid Micro Biosystems explains why automating even a portion of this process can provide tangible benefits, and accelerating the process as part of a rapid testing programme can bring product to market faster.