Liquid Handling System Market: Growth, Size, Share, and Trends

Liquid handling is critical in drug discovery as it streamlines complex and repetitive tasks, enhances precision, and increases efficiency. Through the automation of high-throughput screening, researchers can rapidly test thousands of compounds, significantly accelerating the identification of promising drug candidates compared to traditional manual methods. Automation reduces human error, maintains experimental consistency, and supports robust data management and analysis. Given the complexity of molecular testing, biochemical assays, and genomic research, automation enables better handling of large datasets and optimizes workflows, ultimately shortening the drug development timeline. Automation also brings major benefits to other key areas of drug discovery and development, including target identification and compliance with regulatory standards. Leading companies, like Tecan Group, are at the forefront of advancing target discovery and hit identification through cutting-edge automation technologies. ArrayJet, for instance, leverages bioprinting to deposit proteins and compounds onto slides and microplates efficiently, minimizing sample usage and speeding up screening. Tecan also addresses automation challenges in cell-based models with end-to-end cellomics workflows integrating steps from cell seeding to imaging. These advancements highlight a significant evolution toward more efficient, reliable, and integrated automation solutions in the drug discovery process. For instance, Tecan Group, a Switzerland-based company, offers advanced liquid handling technologies through its end-to-end cellomics workflows. These solutions integrate cutting-edge instruments, such as single-cell dispensers, automated liquid handling workstations, and multimode plate readers to support fully automated processes. Designed to streamline drug discovery, the workflows enable seamless operations from cell seeding to live-cell imaging and analysis, enhancing efficiency and precision in cellular research

In developing regions, cost barriers significantly hinder the adoption of liquid handling automation systems. Although automation offers long-term gains in accuracy, productivity, and sample reliability, the financial burden associated with purchasing, deploying, and maintaining these systems remains substantial. Beyond the initial capital cost, laboratories face considerable ongoing expenses, including routine maintenance, hardware and software upgrades, replacement parts, and service contracts often representing 20–30% of the total cost of ownership and frequently surpassing the initial software investment. Training, system integration, and implementation activities add another ~15% to overall expenditure, further stretching already-tight operating budgets in emerging markets. Many small and mid-sized laboratories in developing regions operate with limited funding, restricted technology budgets, and dependence on government or institutional grants. As a result, they prioritize essential operational needs over capital-intensive automation. In addition, limited access to skilled operators and service engineers increases reliance on external technical support, adding to long-term expenses and creating downtime risks. Poor infrastructure, such as inconsistent power supply, also discourages investments in sensitive automated systems that require stable environments. Evaluating cost-efficiency is further complicated by the low penetration of automation in these regions. With fewer reference installations and limited real-world performance data, laboratories struggle to accurately forecast ROI and justify the upfront investment. Consequently, decision-makers adopt a cautious, risk-averse approach, delaying automation deployments until clear performance, cost-savings, and throughput benefits are demonstrated locally. This scarcity of proven outcomes, combined with budget limitations, insufficient technical expertise, and concerns over system reliability in resource-constrained settings, represents a key restraint to the uptake of liquid handling systems in developing markets

Emerging markets are poised to present substantial growth opportunities for manufacturers and distributors of liquid handling system products during the forecast period. This growth potential is largely driven by increased healthcare spending and ongoing enhancements in healthcare infrastructure across these regions. Notable examples include the following: 1) In the US, healthcare spending was estimated to have risen by 7.5% in 2023, reaching USD 4.8 trillion and outpacing the projected GDP growth rate of 6.1%, according to federal data published in June 2024. 2) Austria’s healthcare expenditure in 2023 was approximately USD 56.58 billion, accounting for 10.9% of its GDP, based on preliminary data from Statistics Austria released in June 2024. 3) The Asia Pacific region is projected to be the fastest-growing market in terms of healthcare spending. It is expected to contribute over 20% to global healthcare expenditures by 2030 (Source: Bain & Company, April 2024). 4) The Economic Survey 2023–24, presented by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, underscores that India’s robust economic growth is paralleled by notable social and institutional advancements, driven by effective government initiatives. Since FY16, social sector spending has consistently risen, with overall social welfare expenditure increasing at a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 12.8% and health expenditure at 15.8% between FY18 and FY24. In the 2023–24 Budget Estimates, ?23.5 lakh crore (approximately USD 283.13 billion) is allocated for social services, with ?5.85 lakh crore (approximately USD 70.42 billion) designated for health. This marks a significant rise from ?11.39 lakh crore (approximately USD 137.23 billion) for social services and ?2.43 lakh crore (approximately USD 29.28 billion) for health in 2017–18. As a percentage of GDP, expenditure on social services grew from 6.7% in 2017–18 to 7.8% in 2023–24, while health expenditure increased from 1.4% to 1.9% over the same period. Within total expenditure, social services now comprise 26%, with health accounting for 6.5%.

The effective use of life science and analytical technologies demands a high level of expertise and practical experience in areas such as high-throughput screening, compound weighing and dissolution, DNA/RNA purification, next-generation sequencing (NGS), PCR, and sample preparation. A lack of adequate knowledge and skills can lead to direct and indirect costs and increase researchers’ workload and time pressure. This skill gap often results in inefficient hands-on experience and limited understanding of the phenotypic implications derived from sequencing-based data. A research paper on NGS published by the National Center for Biotechnology Information (US) highlights the rising demand and adoption of NGS technologies in Australia, underscoring the urgent need for trained biologists to manage and interpret NGS data. This underlines the critical requirement for skilled professionals in method development, validation, operation, and troubleshooting processes. The shortage of such talent presents a significant obstacle to market expansion. There is a pronounced deficit of qualified personnel for these technical activities, which poses a challenge to the growth of the liquid handling system market. This lack of skilled labor, particularly in key regions, is anticipated to constrain the market’s full growth potential over the forecast period. Moreover, as laboratories in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology sectors increasingly work with smaller liquid volumes and complex multi-step processes like serial dilution and PCR, even a minor error such as a one-microliter variation—can critically impact results. These procedures are susceptible to volume discrepancies, making operator proficiency essential. The limited awareness especially in developing nations—contributes to this shortage of diverse and rewarding career paths available in the life sciences. These collective issues are expected to hamper the market’s growth in the coming years