Liquid Handling Systems MarketSize and Trends

Global liquid handling systems market size is expected to reach US$ 5,505.3 Mn by 2030, from US$ 3,381.5 Mn in 2023, exhibiting a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 7.2% during the forecast period.

Global Liquid Handling Systems Market Drivers:

Automation: Automation is significantly impacting the global liquid handling systems market as it allows for greater productivity, precision, and efficiency. With automated liquid handlers, tedious and repetitive manual tasks can be performed quickly and accurately by machines. This enables researchers and lab technicians to focus on more complicated tasks that require human insights. Automated systems can handle tiny volumes of liquids with high accuracy and transfer them between multiple wells of plates at an extremely fast pace. They minimize human errors and ensure consistency in experimental results. Many industries like healthcare and pharmaceutical that rely on complex research and development (R&D) have greatly benefited from automated liquid handling systems.
Growing demand from pharmaceutical & biotechnology companies: The demand for liquid handling systems is witnessing significant growth from the pharmaceutical and biotechnology sector. The nature of work in drug development and precision laboratory research requires a high degree of accuracy when handling tiny volumes of liquids. Liquid handling automation allows for consistent delivery of micro-liter volumes of reagents and samples in a way that minimizes errors. This helps improve productivity and reliability of experimental outcomes in fields like genomics, proteomics, and drug discovery. Pharmaceutical companies are engaged in complex processes like high-throughput screening that requires loading thousands of well-plates accurately with different compound mixtures for testing. Liquid handling systems can complete such repetitive tasks far more efficiently than manual methods, thus saving valuable time and resources. As drug development cycles continue to shorten with increased competition, automation offers a means to expedite the drug discovery workflow.
Increasing R&D investments in life sciences: Growing investments in research and development (R&D) activities in the life sciences sector is a major factor fueling the demand for global liquid handling systems market. Life sciences R&D heavily relies on automation and precision afforded by liquid handling equipment to process large volumes of samples efficiently and accurately in various applications such as genomics, drug discovery, clinical diagnostics, and regenerative medicine. As biopharmaceutical and biotech companies pour more money into developing innovative drugs, therapies, and diagnostic tests year-over-year, their dependency on liquid handling systems has increased substantially. Moreover, in June 2023, according to data published by the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations, the pharmaceutical industry invested more than US $ 45,621.2 million (€42,500 million) in R&D in Europe in 2021.
Technological advancements in liquid handling systems: Technological innovations are improving the accuracy, efficiency, and automation of liquid handling systems. Advanced electronic pipetting systems offer greater reproducibility and throughput as compared to older manual methods. Integrated liquid handling workstations combine with multi-channel electronic pipettes, microplate washers and stackers, thereby providing fully automated processing and freeing up labor for other tasks. As assays become more complex and high-throughput screening grows in pharmaceutical research and medical diagnostics, demand is increasing for systems that can precisely dispense numerous reagents across thousands of samples simultaneously.

Figure 2. Global Liquid Handling Systems Market Share (%), By Product Type, 2023

Global Liquid Handling Systems Market Trends:

Miniaturization of liquid handling systems: The trend of miniaturization in liquid handling systems is having a significant impact on the market. As lab spaces continue to shrink and demand grows for portable devices, companies are developing increasingly small and compact liquid handling solutions. This allows scientists to conduct complex biochemical analysis and procedures outside of traditional lab environments. Miniaturized products take up less bench space and many are small enough to fit in the palm of a hand, thus enabling field and on-site work. For example, companies like Labexpo manufactures an extensive range of Laboratory Equipment & Analytical instrument, are developing handheld devices for rapid pathogen testing that can be used directly in hospitals, thereby allowing for faster diagnosis and treatment decisions for patients.
Increased adoption of electronic and mechatronics components: Adoption of electronic and mechatronic components in liquid handling systems is enabling greater precision, automation, and data integration capabilities. Traditional mechanical systems that relied on manual handling are increasingly giving way to smart automated solutions that leverage digital technologies. The use of electronic sensors, actuators, programmable logic controllers, and human-machine interfaces is allowing for advanced process control and monitoring in new age liquid handlers. Precision robotic arm assemblies equipped with force sensors are enabling consistent pipetting, dispensing and liquid transfer even with evolving viscosity and other parameters. Integrated optical sensors and image recognition systems further optimize process validation checks and sample tracking. Mechatronic components powered by machines and software are also reducing human errors and thus ensuring harmonized handling of multiple parallel sample preparations.
Cloud-based liquid handling workstations: The life sciences industry has seen a rise in demand for automated liquid handling systems that streamline laboratory workflows and improve reproducibility. Traditionally, these systems that are involved on-premise instruments are high-cost and took up physical space in laboratories. However, new cloud-based liquid handling workstations are radically changing the conduction of research. By enabling remote access and sample processing via cloud-connected instruments, scientists can leverage liquid handling as a service without investing in physical devices. This flexibility and lower upfront investment are attracting more end-users, particularly small to mid-sized laboratories and academic research groups with limited budgets. Moreover, in November 2021, PerkinElmer, Inc., a global leader committed to innovating for a healthier world, launched its PKeye Workflow Monitor, a cloud-based platform enabling laboratory personnel to remotely manage and monitor their PerkinElmer instruments and workflows in real-time. Through instant notifications and remote web-access, this platform provides users with confidence that their samples are moving efficiently through extraction, quality control, and liquid handling processes.