The Pharma Industry's Digital Leaders Are Gathering in Zurich: What GSK, Bachem, Matterport and SCARLETRED Are Bringing to the Stage
AutomaPlus 2026, the Pharmaceutical Automation and Digitalisation Congress in Zurich, runs on 16-17 November 2026. Pharma manufacturers, CMOs, CDMOs and technology providers meet at the Congress to work through digitalisation across the regulated pharma operation: production and quality systems, packaging and labelling, supply chain and logistics, plus the compliance and digital health questions that run through all of them. GSK and Bachem join as Partners, Matterport supports the event as the Principal Sponsor and SCARLETRED Holding GmbH as the Platinum Sponsor.
Bachem's Sonja Peter speaks on digital manufacturing data
The Swiss-based Bachem Group specialises in the development and manufacturing of peptides and oligonucleotides. With over 50 years of experience and expertise, Bachem provides products for research, clinical development and commercial application to pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies worldwide.
Digitising documentation is one step. Turning that data into real-time decisions on the production floor is a harder one, and it matters directly for a peptide manufacturer running at Bachem's scale. Sonja Peter (Global MES Innovation Lead) will present in the Leaders Talk 1 “The Digital Factory” with the topic dedicated to advancing insights into equipment and process data in Bachem's Digital Peptide Factory.
GSK covers smart data and smart supply chains
GSK is a global healthcare company specialising in pharmaceuticals, vaccines and consumer healthcare. Their innovative approach to addressing health challenges, from infectious diseases to respiratory conditions, reflects a dedication to research, technology and ethical practices. GSK’s mission revolves around creating impactful solutions that contribute to a healthier future for communities globally.
Cédric Colon, Global Supply Chain Strategy Programme Management Global Process Owner, will take the stage twice at AutomaPlus 2026:
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In the Leaders Talk 2 “Smart Data: Driving the Digital Future”, his presentation on transforming the pharmaceutical industry with AI-driven insights will tackle a familiar bottleneck: production, quality and distribution systems each generate their own data, but little of it reaches the people who need it to make a decision.
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In the Session 4 “Smart Supply Chains: Transformation of Pharma Logistics”, Cédric Colon will cover how AI is starting to inform demand forecasting and distribution planning. In pharma, a shortage or a delay affects patient access, and that raises the stakes on getting the logistics right.
Matterport's Marcus Holland maps the R&D documentation gap
Matterport is leading the digitisation of the built world. Their spatial data platform, powered by Property Intelligence, turns buildings into data and compelling insights to make nearly every space more valuable and accessible. Millions of buildings in more than 177 countries have become immersive Matterport digital twins, improving every part of the building lifecycle: planning, construction, operations, documentation, appraisal and marketing.
Marcus Holland (Senior Sales Director) will join the session dedicated to R&D and laboratory automation with a talk titled “R&D's Blind Spot: From Bench to BIM with Spatial Twins.”
A lab rarely looks the same two years running: equipment gets swapped, suites get repurposed for the next programme, and the paperwork lags behind. Nobody feels the gap until they try to move a process into manufacturing or scale a suite and find there's no reliable record of what's actually in the room. That's the blind spot the talk's title points to, and the speaker's argument is that closing it means treating the physical lab with the same rigour as the process data everyone already tracks.
SCARLETRED puts AI to work on skin trial data
SCARLETRED is a global leader in standardised skin imaging and AI-powered analysis. Their Scarletred® Vision is a platform for objective skin documentation in clinical trials (Phases I-IV) trusted by biopharma, biotech, cosmetics, CROs and healthcare experts. Delivered via scalable SaaS, it helps de-risk skin-related safety endpoints, enables onsite and home-based monitoring, reduces subjectivity, shortens development time and lowers R&D costs.
Harald Schnidar (CEO & Founder) will present in the Executive Opening Panel, “AI: Exploring New Frontiers, Facing New Challenges,” talking about breaking the boundaries between human and machine in skin drug research. Skin-related endpoints are still mostly graded by eye, and two assessors can land on different scores for the same lesion, even within the same site. That's the inconsistency AI is positioned to fix: a repeatable read instead of a judgement call.
How AutomaPlus 2026's speaker line-up shapes networking
Line up the four topics and a pattern shows up. Matterport opens the chain, making the case that R&D and lab spaces need an accurate record before a process ever reaches the production floor. Bachem picks up from there: equipment and process data need to turn into real-time decisions instead of sitting in a log somewhere. SCARLETRED comes at the problem from clinical trials, where a skin assessment still often comes down to one person's judgement. GSK closes the loop on the other end, looking at whether the data anyone collects actually reaches the people deciding what happens with supply chains and logistics.
That's still only a small part of the full programme. AutomaPlus 2026 brings together more than 50 speakers this year, each covering a different part of the pharma value chain, from manufacturing floors to compliance and digital health teams.
Just two months left until the Congress opens its doors – this is the last window to register and plan conversations with pharma leaders.
FAQ
What is AutomaPlus 2026?
AutomaPlus 2026 is the Pharmaceutical Automation and Digitalisation Congress, bringing together senior decision-makers and specialists from pharmaceutical manufacturers, CMOs, CDMOs, equipment suppliers and technology providers to address the practical challenges of automation, digitalisation and manufacturing excellence in pharma. The programme covers MES, SCADA, LIMS, AI in manufacturing, GMP compliance, quality systems and digital infrastructure for regulated environments.
When and where does AutomaPlus 2026 take place?
AutomaPlus 2026 takes place on 16-17 November 2026 in Zurich, Switzerland, across two days of sessions, roundtables, an exhibition and structured B2B meetings with participants from the pharmaceutical value chain.
Who attends AutomaPlus 2026?
AutomaPlus 2026 is attended by C-level executives, heads of automation, digitalisation leads, manufacturing directors, quality and engineering specialists from pharmaceutical operators, CMOs and CDMOs, alongside equipment manufacturers, system integrators and technology providers serving the regulated pharma environment. The Congress operates on a closed-door model to ensure a focused professional environment of end-users, licensors and solution providers.
How is AutomaPlus different from an open pharma industry event?
AutomaPlus 2026 uses a closed-door format: attendance is limited to verified pharma professionals. Open conferences sell tickets to any visitor, including students and people who came just to look around. The closed format keeps conversations focused on those who hold budgets and technical mandates for the topics on the agenda.
How do companies participate in AutomaPlus 2026?
Companies participate in AutomaPlus 2026 as delegates, sponsors, exhibitors or speakers. Participation details are available on request.
Which partner organisations are confirmed for AutomaPlus 2026?
GSK and Bachem have joined AutomaPlus 2026 as Partners, Matterport as the Principal Sponsor and SCARLETRED Holding GmbH as the Platinum Sponsor. Professionals from all four organisations will share their expertise during sessions and panels.
What will the speakers discuss at AutomaPlus 2026?
AutomaPlus 2026 speakers from GSK, Bachem, Matterport and SCARLETRED cover four angles of pharma digitalisation. GSK's Cédric Colon addresses AI-driven data use and supply chain resilience. Bachem's Sonja Peter presents on real-time equipment and process data in digital peptide manufacturing. Matterport's Marcus Holland covers spatial digital twins for documenting R&D and lab environments. SCARLETRED's Harald Schnidar discusses AI's role in standardising skin-related endpoints in clinical trials.