Lab Automation Market: Distribution by Stage of Automation, Type of Instrument, End-user and Key Geographical Regions: Industry Trends and Global Forecasts, 2023-2035

Owing to the growing demand for complex biopharmaceuticals, the number of laboratories providing analytical and product development solutions has increased significantly across the globe. During each step of a laboratory process, it is essential to ensure that all the variables and parameters are under control. However, there are several challenges associated with conventional and manual handling, such as the high risk of sample contamination, high labor costs, time management, operator-to-operator variations and lack of real-time data availability. According to a research article published by Nature, over 70% of scientists were unable to replicate a previously published experiment. This has created a demand for instruments that can reduce the chances of errors, save time and money and boost reproducibility. As a result, lab automation has emerged as the most suitable alternative since it has the ability to overcome the issues associated with manual handling. By eliminating laborious and repetitive processes in the lab, automated technologies enable researchers to focus more on specialized operations. Additionally, lab automation minimizes the risk of human errors while maintaining data accuracy and traceability. We believe that the lab automation market will grow significantly in the coming years, owing to significant advancements and the fact that lab automation and related modules can be customized to meet individual needs.

Key Market Insights

The Lab Automation Market: Distribution by Stage of Automation (Pre-analytical Stage, Analytical Stage, Post-Analytical Stage and Total Lab Automation), Type of Instrument (Automated Liquid Handling Systems, Automated Microplate Readers, Automated Sampling Systems, Analyzers, Automated Storage and Retrieval Systems (ASRS) and Other Instruments), End-user (Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology Companies, Research and Diagnostic Laboratories and Other End-Users) and Key Geographical Regions (North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Middle East and North Africa and Latin America): Industry Trends and Global Forecasts, 2023-2035 report features an extensive study of the current market landscape and future potential of the lab automation market, over the next 12 years. It highlights the efforts of various stakeholders engaged in this rapidly emerging segment of the process equipment industry. The report answers many key questions related to this domain.

Benefits and Growing Demand for Lab Automation

Lab automation refers to the use of any equipment or device that may execute tasks in the lab with little or no hands-on engagement from professionals. It is one of the rapidly emerging concepts that involves integration of automated technologies into laboratories to enhance operations, including pipetting and data analysis, involved in various day-to-day laboratory practices. Lab automation devices, such as automated liquid handling systems have several advantages, including the ability to simplify sample preparation while maintaining consistent high accuracy and allowing labs to free up manual labor and run more samples along with maintaining reproducibility. Further, automated storage and retrieval systems (ASRS) lower down the variable cost of operations by eliminating the need for manual labor for tasks such as picking, storing, assembly and inventory replenishment. This increases the level of accountability and security preventing inventory shrinkage and allowing to locate missing or misplaced items. It is worth highlighting that large-scale automation employing robotic workstations is generally used in clinical, pharmaceutical and life science labs, where a large number of tests and studies are conducted on a daily basis.

Current Market Landscape of the Lab Automation System Manufacturers

The lab automation market is among the most promising domains in the healthcare industry. Currently, around 350 companies have the required capabilities to manufacture lab automation system. Notably, at present, around 50% of these lab automation system manufacturers are focusing on automated liquid handling systems, as it reduces the chances of human error in the pre-analytical stage of diagnostics, where most of the error occurs. 

Automated Storage and Retrieval Systems (ASRS) 

The use of automated storage and retrieval systems (ASRS) allows an operator to have better inventory control. In the case of manual inventory control, an operator must check the inventory on a regular basis to obtain pertinent information. Automated storage and retrieval systems (ASRS) keep the inventory safe, secure and under control by enclosing it in a fully enclosed system. This assist to track missing or misplaced goods which increases level of accountability and security preventing inventory shrinkage.

Partnership and Collaboration Trends in the Lab Automation Domain

In recent years, several partnerships have been inked by various stakeholders in order to consolidate their presence in this field and enhance their capabilities and product portfolio to meet the growing demand for lab automation systems. Acquisitions, product development agreements and distribution agreements are the most common types of partnerships inked by stakeholders in the lab automation domain. Further, majority of such partnerships are focused on various automation instruments, including automated data analysis, automated liquid handling systems and total lab automation.

Key Trends in the Lab Automation Market

Over 6,200 patents focused on lab automation have been granted / filed in the past six years, indicating the substantial efforts made by researchers engaged in this domain. Primarily, most of the patents have been filed to advance research on various components of lab automation systems, such as samples, labels, devices and tests.

Market Size of the Lab Automation Market

Driven by enhanced productivity and improved timelines, lucrative opportunities are expected to emerge for players developing lab automation systems. The global lab automation market is anticipated to grow at a significant pace, with a CAGR of 13% during the period 2023-2035. Among the stages of automation, the pre-analytical stage is most likely to adopt lab automation because it has the highest risk of error during laboratory diagnostics. in terms of geography, the lab automation market in Asia-Pacific is likely to grow at a relatively faster pace in the long term. 

Automated Liquid Handling Systems will Continue to Dominate the Market

Automated liquid handling systems are anticipated to capture the largest share of the market. Liquid handling systems have seen increased adoption in not only the pharma and biotech laboratories, but also academic laboratories. With this, automated liquid handling technology is constantly improving and players are integrating the advanced features. Recently, Microlab STAR Liquid Handling System by Hamilton has been awarded as 2022 Good Design Award by The Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Design and The European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies. In this new automated liquid handling system, Hamilton integrates innovative functions, flexibility, and ease of use in a minimalistic and transparent appearance.

Key Players in the Lab Automation Market

Examples of the key players in this domain (the complete list of players is available in the full report) include (in alphabetic order) Abbott, Anton Paar, BD, Beckman Coulter, ERWEKA, Leuze, Ortho Clinical Diagnostics, Pall Corporation, PerkinElmer, Roche Diagnostics, Siemens Healthineers and SYSTAG.

Scope of the Report

The study presents an in-depth analysis of the various firms / organizations that are engaged in this domain, across different segments.

Amongst other elements, the report includes:

• An executive summary of the insights captured during our research, offering a high-level view on the current state of lab automation market and its likely evolution in the mid-to-long term.
• A general overview of lab automation, along with details on its historical evolution, different stages and processes. In addition, the chapter presents information on the advantages of lab automation and the challenges associated with its use. Further, it concludes with a discussion on the future perspectives in this domain.
• A detailed assessment of the overall market landscape of around 350 lab automation system manufacturers, based on several relevant parameters, such as year of establishment, company size (in terms of number of employees), location of headquarters, types of lab automation system(s) (automated liquid handling systems (automated integrated workstations, pipetting systems and reagent dispensers), automated microplate systems (automated microplate workstations, microplate washers, multi-mode microplate readers and single-mode microplate readers), automated assay systems, automated nucleic acid extraction systems, robotic systems, automated storage and retrieval systems (ASRS), automated sampling systems and other lab automation equipment), stage(s) of automation (pre-analytical stage, analytical stage, post-analytical stage and total lab automation), application area(s) (drug discovery, diagnostics, genomic solutions, proteomic solutions, microbiology and other applications) and end-user(s) (pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, research and academic institutes, hospitals and diagnostic laboratories and other end-users).
• A detailed competitiveness analysis of lab automation system manufacturers based on several relevant parameters, such as company strength (in terms of number of years since it was established), product diversity (in terms of number of lab automation system being developed by the company) and product strength (in terms of stage(s) of automation, application area(s) and end-user(s)).
• Elaborate profiles of key players (shortlisted based on a proprietary criterion) engaged in the development of lab automation systems across North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific and Rest of the World. Each profile features a brief overview of the company, details related to its financial information (if available), product portfolio, recent developments and an informed future outlook.
• A detailed analysis of partnerships inked between stakeholders engaged in this domain since 2018, based on several relevant parameters, such as year of partnership, type of partnership, type of partner, type of automation instrument(s), most active players (in terms of number of partnerships) and regional distribution of partnership activity in this domain.
• An in-depth analysis of various patents that have been filed / granted related to lab automation since 2018, taking into consideration several relevant parameters, such as patent publication year, type of patent, patent jurisdiction, CPC symbols, type of applicant, emerging focus areas and leading players (in terms of number of patents filled / granted) and leading individual assignees. It also features a detailed patent benchmarking analysis and an insightful valuation analysis, highlighting the leading patents (in terms of number of citations).
• A case study on the lab automation software providers, providing detailed analysis on various parameters such as year of establishment, company size (in terms of number of employees), location of headquarters, type of software (laboratory information management system, laboratory information system, electronic lab notebook, scientific data management system and other software), mode(s) of deployment (cloud-based and on-premise), end-user(s) (pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, research and academic institutes, and hospitals and diagnostic laboratories).

One of the key objectives of the report was to evaluate the current opportunity and future growth potential associated with the lab automation market, over the coming years. We have provided informed estimates on the likely evolution of the market in the mid-to-long term for the period 2023-2035. Our year-wise projections of the current and future opportunity have been further segmented based on relevant parameters, such as stage of automation (pre-analytical stage, analytical stage, post-analytical stage and total lab automation), type of instrument (automated liquid handling systems, automated microplate readers, automated sampling systems, analyzers, automated storage and retrieval systems (ASRS) and other instruments), end-user (pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, research and diagnostic laboratories and other end-users) and key geographical regions (North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Middle East and North Africa and Latin America). In order to account for future uncertainties associated with some of the key parameters and to add robustness to our model, we have provided three market forecast scenarios, namely conservative, base and optimistic scenarios, representing different tracks of the industry’s evolution.

The opinions and insights presented in the report were influenced by discussions held with multiple stakeholders in this domain.

The report features detailed transcripts of interviews held with the following individuals:

• Barcella Mauro (Chief Executive Officer, A.S.T. Biomedical)
• Shai Kaplan (Co-Founder and Co-Chief Executive Officer, SciRobotics)
• Patrick Widler (Chief Commercial Officer, HSE)
• Dimitris Kyriakou (Project Manager and Business Development, Efevre Tech)
• Abiodun Sina-Olulana (Production and Supply Management Lead, Africa Medical Supplies Platform)
• Daniel von Sierakowski (Account Manager, Inheco)
• Mayookh Sengupta (Sales Manager, LabWare)
• Anonymous (Berthold Technologies)

All actual figures have been sourced and analyzed from publicly available information forums and primary research discussions. Financial figures mentioned in this report are in USD, unless otherwise specified.

Frequently Asked Questions

Question 1: What is lab automation?

Answer: Lab automation refers to the use of any lab instrument, equipped with the required software that executes tasks in the lab with little or no hands-on engagement from professionals. Automation can be used anywhere, from a single step of an experimental process to the entire workflow.

Question 2: What is automated liquid handling system? What are examples of liquid handling systems?

Answer: Automated liquid handling systems are devices used for dispensing and sampling liquids in tubes or wells. Owing to the capability to dispense liquid volumes up to nanoliters with great precision and accuracy, there has been an increased demand for such systems in research laboratories, universities and the clinical research industry. Some examples of automated liquid handling systems include (in alphabetical order) Echo® 650 (Beckman Coulter), epMotion® (Eppendorf), Microlab® STAR™ (Hamilton) and Tecan Freedom Evo® (Tecan).

Question 3: How many players are currently involved in the development of lab automation systems?

Answer: Presently, around 350 companies are developing various lab automation devices, including automated liquid handling systems, automated microplates, automated assay systems, automated nucleic acid extraction systems, robotic systems, automated storage and retrieval systems (ASRS), automated sampling systems and other lab automation systems.

Question 4: Which are the top players in the lab automation market?

Answer: Examples of top players engaged in this domain (which have also been captured in this report) include (in alphabetical order) include Abbott, Anton Paar, BD, Beckman Coulter, ERWEKA, Leuze, Ortho Clinical Diagnostics, Pall Corporation, PerkinElmer, Roche Diagnostics, Siemens Healthineers and SYSTAG.

Question 5: What is the global market size of the lab automation market?

Answer: The current global lab automation market size is estimated to be USD 5.2 Billion.

Question 6: What is the growth rate of lab automation market?

Answer: The global lab automation market is expected to grow at an annualized rate of 13% during the period 2023-2035.

Question 7: Which region is likely to hold the largest share in the lab automation market?

Answer: Currently, North America is anticipated to capture the largest market share (38%). In addition, the market in Asia-Pacific is likely to grow at a relatively faster pace in the long term. 

Question 8: What is the market share of automated liquid handling systems?

Answer: Automated liquid handling systems are anticipated to capture over 30% of the market share by 2035 and this trend is unlikely to change during the forecasted period. 

Question 9: What are the factors driving the lab automation market?

Answer: Automation generates high-quality data, provides better documentation and enables the various end-users to generate more data with less effort. As a result, increased reproducibility and precision are projected to drive the growth of the lab automation market.