IBO includes the following technologies in its laboratory equipment section: laboratory centrifuges, water purification equipment, transfection techniques, extraction techniques, gas generators, concentrators and evaporators, incubators, fume hoods, biological safety cabinets, microwave-assisted chemistry, fermentors and bioreactors, lab washers, and shakers and stirrers. The laboratory equipment market totaled more than $3.83 billion in 2013 for growth of 1.2%. The market is expected to grow 3.7% to reach nearly $4 billion in 2014.

Thermo Fisher Scientific continues to dominate vendor share in laboratory equipment. The company is the leader in a number of the segments, including centrifuges, incubators, fume hoods, biological safety cabinets, and shakers and stirrers. It is also among the top vendors for many other laboratory equipment segments. Overall, Thermo has a lab equipment market share of about 20%. Merck/EMD Millipore and Beckman Coulter are the next top vendors. Merck/EMD Millipore is the leader for water purification equipment, while Beckman Coulter (Danaher) is the second leading vendor for laboratory centrifuges.

Laboratory centrifuges are the largest segment of the lab equipment market, with 2013 demand totaling $788 million, more than one fifth of the total market. Segment demand declined nearly 3% in 2013. However, the next two years are expected to be positive for laboratory centrifuges, with estimated growth of 3.2% in 2014. Thermo and Beckman continue to dominate the market.

Laboratory water purification equipment is the second-largest laboratory equipment segment, accounting for about 13% of the laboratory equipment market. In 2014, it is expected to grow over 3%. Among vendors, ELGA Labwater has a strong presence in Europe.

The transfection market, which includes electroporation, lipofection and viral vectors, is predominantly aftermarket based. Only a small portion of electroporation market sales are composed of initial systems and service. The transfection segment makes up 11% of the lab equipment market, but experienced a slight decline last year. However, in 2014, demand for transfection techniques is expected to improve, increasing 8%

Extraction is the only other laboratory equipment market segment with a double-digit market share. Demand grew about 2.6% this past year and is expected to grow at a similar rate in 2014.

Gas generators, concentrators and evaporators, incubators and fume hoods each have laboratory equipment market shares of between 6% and 7%. In 2014, demand for fume hoods is expected to grow 4%, and demand for gas generators is estimated to rise 3%.

Of the remaining segments, microwave-assisted chemistry, fermentors and bioreactors are expected to post above average growth rates. Thermo leads both the biological safety cabinet, and the stirrer and shaker markets. CEM dominates the microwave-assisted chemistry market, followed by Biotage. Sartorius and Eppendorf are the top vendors for fermentors and bioreactors. Miele and Lancer lead the lab washers segment.