US Liquid Handling Market estimated to reach $974 million in 2021

The trend of laboratories moving from manual methods to automated workflows is advancing momentum in the uptake of liquid handling instruments in the U.S. Stricter regulations and a growing focus on data precision, efficiency and reproducibility are driving the transition to automation in liquid handling. The need for application-specific liquid handlers will further aid product development and encourage the entry of new market competitors.

Analysis from Frost & Sullivan, US Liquid Handling Market, estimates this market to reach $974 million in 2021 at a compound annual growth rate of 5.4 percent from 2014.

"Liquid handling systems are increasingly being used on the front end of growing downstream applications, such as next-generation sequencing, mass spectrometry, cell analysis and flow cytometry," said Frost & Sullivan Healthcare Senior Industry Analyst Christi Bird. "As these downstream application and assay needs change, the associated sample preparation requires change, driving new product development in liquid handling."

While the benefits of automated workflows over manual methods are compelling, some labs in the U.S. continue to view automated liquid handling as an unnecessary luxury. Additionally, persisting economic and funding challenges continue to restrain budgets and curb the sales of liquid handling systems.

However, the launch of lower priced benchtop liquid handling instruments for smaller laboratories will help competitors secure a wider customer base.

"Smaller labs are gaining access to automated liquid handling as suppliers launch benchtop instruments and simple 'pipette-in-a-box' automated tools," noted Bird. "The rise in the uptake of automated liquid handling tools will increase throughput, in turn fuelling the use of consumables and adding to revenues in the liquid handling space."