AB Enzymes digitalises their R&D operations to free up time for value-added research 

Results

• Time savings: Processes data with minimal human involvement, reducing hands on time to minutes.
• Increased automation: Automates routine data analytics across 100+ devices, allowing scientists to focus on value-adding R&D work.
• Improved data quality and minimised errors: Reducing the need for manual data collection and wrangling with spreadsheets improves data consistency and lowers the probability for human errors.
• Enhanced data security and compliance: Provides a secure, centralised platform for compliant access to all R&D data.
• Cross-team collaboration: The platform enables enhanced cross-collaboration by making R&D data accessible to all, enabling advanced decision-making across departments and countries.
• Reusability and scalability: Provides a solid foundation for all future use cases from simple data transformations to high-performance computing. 

Fragmented data and manual handling create R&D bottlenecks

The development of enzymes requires experiments that generate massive amounts of data (both structured and unstructured, e.g., test results and images) from lab instruments. Earlier, many of AB Enzymes’ lab equipment operated in local servers, lacking connectivity or connected with various ad-hoc solutions, often meaning that data had to be manually transferred between devices using USB, screenshots, re-entering data from printed materials etc. This is a slow, labour-heavy way of working and increases the risk of human error.

Additionally, the raw R&D data was stored in many locations, making it difficult to access, analyse, and share. Without a centralised and secure storage solution, researchers struggled to find and trace data. As a result, R&D teams wasted precious time on routine data tasks that could have been better spent on core research. Multiple, unscalable solutions proved unsustainable for modern R&D.

“As data volumes in life sciences and biotechnology continue to increase, the need for larger, more complex data analyses in R&D became clear—and pressing. To remain competitive, we must improve our data collection, analysis, and utilisation capabilities”, says Nick Tobias, Senior Scientist Bioinformatics at AB Enzymes.

“Instead of moving forward, our digitalisation was going backward. To address this, we launched a new digitisation initiative. However, we quickly realised we lacked the expertise to address these challenges. That’s when we decided to work with Solita,” he continues. 

Digitalisation connects people, processes, and technology

AB Enzymes wanted to digitise R&D operations and create a modern laboratory by connecting laboratory devices to the cloud. The goal was to create a more effective, data-driven approach to help the company’s growth and innovation.

This undertaking wasn’t just about introducing new technologies, it required aligning people, processes, and systems to work seamlessly. “Technology is easy, people are hard. Successful digitalisation depends on guiding people through change rather than simply handing them tools. So, we always begin with ‘what’ and ‘why’: What are we trying to accomplish—and why? We believe this human-centric, bottom-up approach guarantees the successful implementation and adoption of new technologies,” explained Jannik Bleich, Senior Business Designer at Solita.

Solita supported AB Enzymes by identifying gaps in both technology and organisational capabilities. We helped them formulate a future vision and strategy, prioritise laboratory data use cases, understand the organisational skill gaps and analyse the current technology landscape. This process culminated in a roadmap for technological development and organisational change facilitation. Clear goals and objectives for this big transformation were set together to monitor and gain feedback on the digitalisation actions.

From developing new tools to fostering cultural alignment, the project’s central goal was to connect devices. By creating a quick cloud PoC we could validate the connectivity initiative’s feasibility, viability and value.

We created a data platform with Microsoft Azure cloud technology to collect, store, process, analyse, and share information throughout the organisation. We helped people adjust to new automated work methods and analysed tasks and workflows to identify areas for improvement. 

“This was going to be a huge transformation for the organisation, so it was crucial to involve and commit all key people from the get-go,” said Jannik Bleich, Senior Business Designer at Solita.

We also defined new roles and an upskilling plan to ensure a smooth adoption of new processes and technologies, and we assisted in building a team ambassadors to champion the project, explain the changes in the team level, and ensure department wide acceptance. 

Time savings, automation, and improved security

At the beginning of 2025, AB Enzymes and Solita completed the backend work, laying the groundwork for a connected, automated, and compliant data-driven laboratory to accelerate enzyme development. Manual processes, such as data transfers, analysis, visualisation, can be automated in the cloud-based laboratory, where data is securely stored in the cloud and processed faster.

This automation reduces manual touchpoints across devices, decreasing employees’ cognitive load and freeing up time for teams to devote to high-value R&D projects. Avoiding manual data entry reduces human error, increases data accuracy, and eliminates the need to double check if the data was correctly copypasted from one excel to a second one.

Also, the automation of data visualisation, extraction, and reporting empowers researchers to take on more innovative projects. The new, secure, centralised data platform increases security, compliance, and accessibility.

The data platform serves as the foundation for future digitalisation. Once the user interface is fully implemented, the data platform will encourage cross-team and international collaboration, enabling ambitious, integrated research initiatives.

Next steps in AB Enzymes’ digitalisation

The digitalisation of AB Enzymes’ R&D has paved the way for more efficient and effective R&D operations. As a result, they will now be able to reduce the lead time of future R&D projects. Future phases will automate more, cut repetitive tasks, boost high-value research and support complex analytical models. These include anomaly detection, cross-device analysis, and predictive analysis. They will also allow for better data exploration, giving deeper insights and improving decision-making.

The plan is to keep developing the approach based on feedback. We want to ensure that the tech solutions meet AB Enzymes’ R&D team’s needs. As the company moves forward, it will continue to refine its approach, ensuring it remains competitive.

“For the record, AB Enzymes is one of the most pleasant clients ever. Our team benefited greatly from AB Enzymes’ friendly, welcoming, and inclusive attitude. We were treated as equals, as members of the same team. This made the entire project run smoothly, transparently, and impactfully,” said Oskari Burri, Lead Data Platforms and Architecture at Solita. 

Watch also the recording of Nick Tobias from AB Enzymes and Oskari Burri from Solita presenting at the Solita Summit:
Digital transformation in corporations: How strategic involvement drives success