The present invention provides an automated system and method for maintaining compaction, and therefore increased efficiency, of a media bed within a chromatography column. In the preferred embodiment, an adjustment assembly is slidingly engaged inside one end of the column such that it can be moved along the column's major axis. When idle, the force exerted on this end is equal to the compression on the media. When the column is actively processing chromatographic fluid, this exerted force can be expressed as the sum of the compression on the media, and the force of the fluid being processed. This total force and the fluid pressure are monitored using a load cell and a pressure sensor respectively. The compression force operating on the media bed is then computed based on these measurements and compared to the optimal value. The position of the adjustment assembly within the column is then modified in response to changes in the measured compression force.