Pharmaceuticals and Biotech IMS Health forecasts worldwide pharmaceutical sales to increase 4.5%–5.5% this year, on par with 2008, to more than $820 billion (see IBO 10/31/08). The substantial cash holdings of major pharmaceutical companies could increase M&A activities. The target of these acquisitions are expected to be smaller biotech firms that are unable to access […]

As a regular feature of our annual forecast issue, IBO selects a firm from our industry as “company of the year.” In designating the company of the year, IBO recognizes an analytical or life science instrument maker that has accomplished technical, operational and financial achievements. Such achievements are a function of strong financial performance, market […]

There are a number of analytical techniques that are not easily aggregated into a single category, yet are found in most laboratories. These instrument technologies include laboratory balances, pH meters and electrodes. Likewise, instruments used for specimen preparation, such as centrifuges and extraction and digestion equipment, are laboratory staples. These instrument techniques along with those […]

Growth in 2008 for the separations market was nearly two percentage points lower than the original forecast estimates (see IBO 1/15/08) due, in part, to the weakened third and fourth quarters marked by the global financial crisis. In 2008, the separations market accounted for $6.6 billion in revenues and grew 6.6% over 2007. For 2009, […]

The life science instrument market includes 10 product categories and accounts for the largest share of the analytical instrumentation market due to strong support from government programs, and private and public research institutions. Somewhat immune to negative sales trends caused by the downturn of global economies, the life science market grew 7.2% in 2008 to […]

Financial Crisis As with firms worldwide, analytical and life science instrument companies found themselves at the mercy of the credit crisis, failing stock markets and lower industrial demand at year-end. Some of the strongest markets for instrumentation in recent years—the petrochemical, metals and chemical industries—abruptly slowed operations in late 2008 and announced cost cuts for […]

Surface science techniques include a variety of microscopic techniques for the analysis of surfaces and other microscopic features or samples. Images can be formed through several complementary techniques, ranging from traditional optical microscopy to more advanced optical techniques and methods that rely on imaging probes other than ordinary light, such as electron microscopy and scanning […]

While the overall MS market did not quite match the growth initially expected for 2008 (see IBO 1/5/08), it grew more than 8% in the past year. Despite the severe global recession, IBO expects the demand for MS to grow 7.7% in 2009, which will easily put the total market value over the $2.5 billion […]

Materials characterization instruments primarily analyze the physical properties of samples, including temperature, thermal response, force, hardness, particle size and viscosity, among others. In many cases, the instruments measure the response of one characteristic when another is varied. The information derived from these instruments provide direct insight into the physical behavior of the sample, and this […]

The set use of many atomic spectroscopy techniques for legally mandated environmental analysis applications should help to insulate the sector from the negative effects of the global economy. The continuing international interest in green technologies and environmental safety should also remain strong sources of growth in demand for atomic spectroscopy. The techniques most associated with […]