Automated Liquid Handling (ALH) Technologies Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report By Product (Workstations, Reagents & Consumables), By Application, By End User, and Segment Forecasts, 2018 - 2025

Industry Insights

The global automated liquid handling technologies market size was valued at USD 1.01 billion in 2017. It is estimated to register a CAGR of 9.4% during the forecast period. Introduction of novel automated liquid handling workstations for non-contact dispensing is expected to drive the market.

Over the years, contact dispensing has gained wide acceptance due to its reliability, simplicity, and low cost. However, liquid handling needs are observed to be changing with reduction in sample volume. Surface adhesion is the most prominent factor that affects liquid handling performance at micro- to nanoliter sample volume.

Manufacturers are developing workstations based on different technologies for dispensing without surface adhesion. These technologies include ultrasound, piezoelectric, and solenoid. For instance, LABCYTE INC. uses Echo acoustic liquid handling technology in its products to offer non-contact dispensing.

In addition, effective miniaturization of assay platforms reduces workflow expenditure by reduction in use of expensive reagents. Increasing development of acoustic liquid handling platforms, which enable faster processing, is likely to stoke the growth of the market. Growing trend of automation and advantages of automated liquid handling over manual handling are also providing a fillip to the market.

Product Insights

Based on product, the market has been bifurcated into automated liquid handling workstations and reagents and consumables. Workstations have been reviewed based on their assembly and type. On the basis of assembly, they can be segmented into standalone and integrated workstations and based on type, they can be divided into multipurpose, pipetting, specialized liquid handlers, and workstation module.

Growing competition among pharmaceutical companies and their pursuit to develop novel drugs are fueling the adoption of automated workstations. Small footprint and ability to provide accurate as well as faster serial dilution and plate replication are contributor to larger market penetration of standalone pipettors. Some of the common pipettors available in the market are Biotek’s Precision XS, Agilent’s Bravo, Beckman Coulter’s Biomek NX, Agilent’s Vprep, Hamilton’s NIMBUS, and TTP Labtech mosquito HTS.

Consumables account for a considerable cost to pharma companies & biotech laboratories. Higher prices of consumables coupled with recurring use of these products in workflow steps are playing a vital role in the growth of the reagents and consumables segment. However, increasing number of third party manufacturers for disposable tips that are compatible with automated systems is projected to reduce their adoption of conventional accessories over the years.

Application Insights

Over a million compounds are screened to identify new drug candidate in a single drug discovery experiment. Various applications in drug discovery & ADME Tox include stepwise serial dilution over wide concentration range, selection and transfer of compounds for retest, and confirmatory & further analysis. The drug discovery and ADME Tox segment is poised to represent the leading share in the automated liquid handling technologies market throughout the forecast period. Ability to integrate different types of liquid handlers and stackers or incubators for enhancing throughput are the major advantages associated with the usage of automated liquid handling platforms in drug discovery.

Automated liquid handling is an essential part of cancer & genomic research as it requires dispensing protein or DNA solutions onto substrates or into microwells. Subsequent steps involving synthesis and analysis usually require dispensing of additional solutions. Use of manual liquid handling techniques for these steps becomes impractical & tedious. Adoption of automated liquid handling technologies for genomic and cancer research is anticipated to witness substantial growth in the coming years.

End User Insights

Automated liquid handlers are extensively used in drug discovery laboratories. High need to dispense liquid samples on different substrates and transfer them to containers of varying size has translated into rise in adoption in drug development & manufacturing. Owing to this increase in use of automation for drug screening and drug development, pharma & biotech companies are estimated to be the leading segment in the market in 2017.

Increasing outsourcing of pharma and biotech workflows is encouraging CROs & CMOs to enhance their work flow efficiency in compliance with regulatory requirements. Thereby, several CROs & CMOs are integrating automated liquid handling in their facilities. For instance, in September 2016, Vibalogics, a German CDMO enhanced operating capabilities with installation of Bosch ARF 1020 filling machine for automatic vial filling.

Furthermore, academic and research institutes involved in life science experiments, especially those involving gene sequencing, antibody testing, drug, screening, and protein crystallization, usually need to handle very small sample volumes. Thus, demand for automated methods such as sensor integrated robotic systems is expected to support revenue growth in the academic & research institutes segment.

Regional Insights

North America was at the forefront of the market in 2017 owing to well-established distribution network of major market players and higher usage of advanced automation solutions. Demand for small volume genomic and proteomics analysis for life science research is further stimulating the growth of the regional market. Competitors in the region are collaborating with large academic universities & research centers in Europe to increase their revenue.

However, expanding base of local biotech companies, increasing funding support, and CFDA reform in China and price reform in Japan (affecting both off-patent and on patent products) are likely to foster the progress of the biopharmaceutical industry. Rapid progress of biopharma & biotechnology companies as well as contract organizations in countries such as Japan and China is projected to propel the market in Asia Pacific. The region is poised to exhibit the highest CAGR during the forecast period.

Automated Liquid Handling Technologies Market Share Insights

The market is consolidated with few market players having a larger market share. These key players include Analytik Jena AG; Hamilton Company; Aurora Biomed Inc.; Labcyte Inc.; Eppendorf AG; BioTek Instruments, Inc.; Agilent Technologies; Labnet International, Inc.; Gilson, Inc.; Beckman Coulter, Inc.; and Tecan Trading AG.

Competitors are involved in strategic partnerships with biotech companies to develop assays & tools in order to provide automated workflows to biopharmaceutical companies. For instance, in June 2018, Hamilton Robotics collaborated with WATERS for development of STARWorks for sample preparation workflows using WATER’s assays -Waters ProteinWorks and Waters GlycoWorks.

Report Scope

Segments Covered in the Report

This report forecasts revenue growth at global, regional, and country levels and provides an analysis of industry trends in each of the sub-segments from 2014 to 2025. For the purpose of this study, Grand View Research has segmented the global automated liquid handling technologies market report on the basis of product, application, end user, and region:

• Product Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2014 - 2025)

  • Automated Liquid Handling Workstations

    • By Assembly

      • Standalone Workstations

      • Integrated Workstations

    • By Type

      • Multipurpose Workstation

      • Pipetting Workstation

      • Specialized Liquid Handler

      • Workstation Module

  • Reagents & Consumables

    • Reagents

    • Accessories

• Application Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2014 - 2025)

  • Drug Discovery & ADME-Tox Research

  • Cancer & Genomic Research

  • Bioprocessing/Biotechnology

  • Others

• End User Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2014 - 2025)

  • Academic & Research Institutes

  • Pharmaceutical & Biotechnology Companies

  • Contract Research Organizations

• Regional Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2014 - 2025)

  • North America

    • U.S.

    • Canada

  • Europe

    • Germany

    • U.K.

  • Asia Pacific

    • Japan

    • China

  • Latin America

    • Brazil

  • Middle East and Africa (MEA)

    • South Africa