Quality Assistance becomes the first analytical CRO to earn the ‘Factory of the Future’ label.
Combining collective effort and sustainable performance
On Tuesday, 10 February 2026, we officially received the ‘Factory of the Future’ label in the presence of Walloon Vice-President Pierre-Yves Jeholet.
We are recognised as a leading reference in Industry 4.0 applied to analytical services, guaranteeing performance for the pharmaceutical industry. Above all, this distinction highlights the collective effort of our teams, who have committed themselves to transforming our company in a sustainable way.
What a ‘Factory of the Future’ really is
The ‘Factory of the Future’ label is based on four technical and operational pillars.
- Digitalisation involves the systematic integration of AI, IoT and Big Data to monitor and optimise industrial processes.
- Agility refers to the implementation of flexible production systems capable of handling small, customised batches with the cost-effectiveness of large-scale manufacturing.
- Sustainability emphasises operational responsibility, notably through reducing the carbon footprint and integrating circular economy principles.
- Human-centred approach ensures that technology deployment is designed to assist operators; by automating repetitive or physically demanding tasks, the framework aims to enhance human intervention rather than replace it.
A rigorous audit as proof of trust
The label, awarded by Agoria and Sirris, is based on a demanding maturity framework (minimum score of 4/5 in each area). Quality Assistance was audited on seven major transformations, including:
- Digital Factory: full integration of our systems (ERP/MES) offering real-time visibility
- Smart Manufacturing: intelligent use of data to anticipate and guarantee compliance
- Networked Factory: our ability to collaborate seamlessly with our customers and partners
Why commit to the Factory of the Future approach?
Above all, we wanted a fair assessment based on a framework shared by all industrial sectors. The FoF label offered us this opportunity:
- to position ourselves in relation to other companies
- to measure the evolution of our practices over a long period of time
- to benefit from an external, structured and objective view of our transformation.
It was also a way of establishing our actions within a recognised framework, beyond our own internal standards.
QALIMS: 20 years of agility and proprietary innovation
Our digital transformation is part of a long process in which innovation has always played a central role. More than 20 years ago, we began developing QALIMS, an ERP designed to manage and structure all analytical data. This was because the commercial software available at the time was not suited to the level of agility required in our business
Since then, our in-house teams have continued to develop and maintain the various modules. We have also invested regularly in our equipment to ensure that our technological environment is always up to date.
At the same time, an internal programme has been put in place to maximise the security of analytical data within the analytical software. Finally, we have created a Data Governance Board to oversee this.
Today, we are taking a new step forward with the deployment of Full Electronic and LIMS LabVantage, which will enable us to centralise and unify the data generated on a daily basis. We are also exploring AI-based approaches and new data processing methods in order to better leverage our data capital.
Vision 2035: towards Augmented Intelligence
Our priorities for the coming years are to further strengthen data governance, apply the FAIR principles (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Reusable), with particular emphasis on interoperability and reusability, and gradually integrate artificial intelligence tools to support analysts, while always maintaining human oversight.
Within ten years, Quality Assistance aims to become an organisation where robotics and AI enhance every human decision, delivering unmatched analytical reliability through fully controlled data.
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