The laboratory automation market accounts for approximately 7% of the analytical and life sciences instrumentation market. It consists of four technology categories: liquid handling, microplate readers, robotics and management informatics. It is a medium-sized market whose important technology is designed to automate repetitive laboratory procedures to increase the speed, efficiency and accuracy of the work done in the lab. It helps organize and govern the workflow for increased overall productivity.

Demand for the overall lab automation market increased 4.5% in 2010 and accounted for $2.8 billion in revenues. The pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries accounted for the largest share of the lab automation market but have moderated their investments in large automated systems. Other sectors of the market, such as contract research organizations (CROs) and clinical research markets, have become increasingly important, particularly in China and India. Overall, the market is forecast to be slightly better in 2011 and increase 5.1% for the year to $2.9 billion.

Liquid handling, which includes manual/handheld pipettes and automated workstations, accounts for 43.6% of the lab automation market. The manual pipette market offers somewhat modest growth prospects for 2011. Eppendorf and Mettler-Toledo lead the handheld pipette market. The market for automated workstations is the larger of the two liquid handling segments and is led by Tecan and Beckman Coulter. Overall, the liquid handling market is expected to grow 4.6% for 2010, fueled by expansion in Asia Pacific and relatively modest growth in North America and Europe. Demand from the life sciences, particularly for genomics and cell analysis applications, is expected to drive growth.

Microplate readers accounted for about 30% of the lab automation market in 2010. Sales are forecast to increase 6.5% this year, driven by multimode detection systems. Growth for high-throughput screening readers is expected to be flat, while the market for single-mode detection systems is forecast to increase modestly. Demand from the pharmaceutical and biotech industries is expected to be robust, particularly for applications involving cell-based assays. Aftermarket products, including accessories, assay kits, reagents, dyes and other consumables, account for a significant part of the market. PerkinElmer and Molecular Devices (part of Danaher) lead the microplate reader market.

Management informatics software, which includes laboratory information management systems (LIMS), electronic lab notebook (ELN), laboratory execution systems (LES) and scientific data management systems (SDMS), had a somewhat forgettable year in 2010, with a modest decline in the overall market. Management informatics accounted for nearly 16% of the lab automation sector in 2010. The market is expected to strengthen in 2011 and grow 4.7% for the year. The LIMS market continues to evolve, particularly with the introduction of cloud-based or software as a service LIMS. ELN, LES and SDMS are becoming increasingly popular and are expected to drive growth in the management informatics market, especially in the biotech and pharmaceutical industries. Growth is expected to be strong in Asia and Latin America.

The market for robotic systems accounted for nearly 11% of the total lab automation market in 2010. North America and Europe account for the majority of the market, driven by the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries. Demand from the chemicals and agriculture/food industries is expected to drive growth. Overall, the robotics market, which is led by Tecan and Freeslate, is forecast to increase 3.9% this year.

 

 Laboratory Automation 2010–2011

                      Market Share        Growth Rate

 Liquid Handling      43.6%               4.6%

 Microplate Readers   29.9%               6.5%

 LIMS, ELN, SDMS      15.7%               4.7%

 Robotics             10.8%               3.9%

 Total                100.0%              5.1%

 

 Column Graph: 2009–2012 Total Laboratory Automation Market

                  2009     2010     2011     2012

 $ Millions       2,650    2,770    2,912    3,028

 

 Pie Chart: 2010 Lab Automation Suppliers Market Shares

 Tecan                       10%

 Thermo Fisher Scientific     9%

 PerkinElmer                  8%

 Eppendorf                    5%

 Molecular Devices (Danaher)  4%

 Other                       64%

 

 Lab Automation Market Leaders

 Liquid Handling 

 Automatic              Tecan, Beckman Coulter

 Manual                 Eppendorf, Mettler-Toledo

 Microplate Readers     PerkinElmer, Molecular Devices (Danaher)

 LIMS, ELN, SDMS        LabWare, Thermo Fisher Scientific

 Robotics               Tecan, Freeslate

 

 Pie Chart: 2010 Lab Automation Market by Product Type

 Initial Systems           57%

 Aftermarket               27%

 Service                   16%