Automation that makes sense: Why, how and who at Da Vinci

Why – Da Vinci consists of analytical chemists with a passion for problem‑solving. When it comes to automation for chromatography and mass spectrometry, the goal is not a purchase order, but creating meaningful and lasting improvements in your laboratory performance.

The company has been active for more than 25 years as partners of Agilent and GERSTEL, combining robotics with chromatography and mass spectrometry to help laboratories achieve more with their instrumentation.

Applications span environmental testing, flavour and fragrance analysis, clinical assays, high-throughput omics, and many other areas. If there is an application within analytical chemistry, the team of Da Vinci Laboratory Solutions UK & Ireland is likely to have relevant experience to automate it.

How – Da Vinci’s sales team is made up of former analytical chemists, while its engineers all come from laboratory backgrounds. The UK team also includes four application chemists based in its Cambridge laboratory, providing hands-on technical expertise and an application-led approach.

This combination of experience gives the team a clear understanding of real laboratory challenges and a strong focus on how automation can improve workflows in practical and measurable ways.

Not every project leads to automation, and not every business case supports a robotics solution. The approach is to understand the laboratory environment, present the facts clearly, and work collaboratively to determine whether automation is the right fit.

Who – Meet the team of Da Vinci UK & Ireland

Alex Murray, Sales Manager UK&I (North UK)

An environmental analytical chemist by background, Alex worked in contract testing laboratories across north-west England for eight years before moving into sales, where he continues to apply his problem-solving approach to new challenges.

Sean O’Connor, Account Manager (West UK and Ireland)

Sean spent 20 years as a flavour chemist and analyst before joining the applications team in 2014. He later moved into account management and returned to Da Vinci in late 2025 after roles elsewhere in the industry.

Dan Carrier, Account Manager (East UK and Northern Ireland)

With more than 20 years in pharma, Dan went on to work as an applications chemist and manager in the company’s applications laboratory for a decade. He now supports customers across East UK and Northern Ireland, bringing deep analytical expertise to his role.

What – Da Vinci does not follow the usual approach to instrument sales. The scope of its technologies and solutions is too broad to capture in a short pitch, which is why it has developed the Automation Blueprint tool.

The process begins with a customer’s existing manual method. If it involves analytical chemistry, it can be automated. From there, the focus is on the customer’s goals - whether that is freeing up time for higher-value work, improving precision and minimizing uncertainty, or enabling workflows that are not possible without automation.

Users are invited to complete the Automation Blueprint form, after which Da Vinci’s team reviews the process and outlines the possibilities for automated sample preparation and introduction. The aim is to provide clear, science-led guidance to support informed business decisions, without unnecessary complexity.

Contact the automation chemists of Da Vinci to see what automation can do for your lab today.