Laboratories face growing pressure to increase throughput, control costs, and deliver reliable results faster. Warren Potts, Vice President and General Manager of the Gas Phase Division at Agilent Technologies, outlines how gas chromatography innovation can help laboratories address these connected demands.
Speaking at ASMS 2026, Potts identifies three priorities shaping GC development: instrument performance, intelligent operation, and sustainability. Together, these areas can help laboratories improve productivity while adapting to changing operational demands.
Connecting GC Performance With Laboratory Needs
Potts explains that customer needs often emerge through broader discussions about laboratory operations. Analysts may not identify performance, intelligence, or sustainability as separate requirements. Instead, they describe problems such as slow turnaround times, instrument delays, or pressure to process more samples with existing resources.
Environmental testing laboratories provide one example. These facilities must receive samples, complete analyses, and return reports within tight timelines. Chemical testing laboratories and other high-throughput environments face similar demands.
Faster GC systems can support these goals, but speed alone does not solve every workflow challenge. Laboratories also need tools that reduce interruptions and help analysts complete routine tasks without extended downtime.
Intelligent GC Tools Support Instrument Uptime
Potts highlights GC Assist as one approach to helping analysts at the point of need. When users encounter an instrument task or operational issue, searching through a manual can slow the workflow. Embedded video guidance can help users identify the correct procedure, complete the task, and return the system to operation.
This type of support can benefit high-throughput laboratories, where short interruptions can affect productivity. It can also help laboratories manage differences in analyst experience.
Accessible guidance reduces the time users spend searching for instructions. It also allows analysts to focus on generating, reviewing, and interpreting data.
Usability Shapes Technology Adoption
Potts stresses that technical advances must fit the way laboratories work. A feature may improve GC speed or performance, but laboratories may struggle to adopt it if it does not match existing workflows or analyst skill levels.
Instrument design therefore represents one part of laboratory innovation. Software, consumables, training, and technical support also influence whether a technology delivers practical value.
Potts describes the need to develop these elements together rather than optimize the GC instrument in isolation. This approach can create workflows that support uptime, simplify operation, and improve productivity.
Gas Chromatography Innovation Moves Beyond Specifications
The discussion reflects a broader shift in how laboratories evaluate analytical technologies. Instrument specifications remain important, but laboratories also need complete solutions that address operational pressures.
For GC developers, the challenge involves balancing analytical performance, usability, and resource demands. Gas chromatography innovation that connects these areas can help laboratories meet current throughput requirements and prepare for future workflow challenges.
