Market Profile: Mass, Molecular, and Atomic Spectroscopy

Mass spectrometry, molecular and atomic spectroscopy technologies combine to represent more than a fifth of the overall market for laboratory analytical instrumentation. These techniques are perhaps the most broadly used instruments, with utility in pharmaceuticals and other life sciences, chemicals, environmental, food, clinical/Dx and other applications. Collectively, these three instrumentation sectors are categorized into 23 technologies that embody 80+ different product types.

In 2018, the market showed solid growth for industrial markets, which include chemicals, plastics/polymers, metals/minerals, semiconductor/electronics and others. This sector represented the largest segment with about 28% market share. Pharmaceutical/biotechnology labs and the public sector (academia and government labs) combine for about half of the spectroscopy demand.

The total market for spectroscopy instruments and related products accounted for about $12.1 billion in 2017, and is on pace to increase eight percent in 2018. Demand was fueled by growth from environmental, food and applied markets, measured at about 22% of the market. Molecular spectroscopy techniques such as UV/Vis and IR techniques are experiencing strong growth from developed regions including North America, Europe and Japan, and demand from emerging markets, particularly China, is driving growth for atomic spectroscopy and mass spectrometry instruments such as ICP-MS, triple-quadrupole LC/ MS and Orbitrap/FT-MS. Overall, the demand for spectroscopy instruments is expected to ride its momentum into next year. It is expected meet modest headwinds from some slowing of production levels, but overall unit shipments are expected to increase in 2019 driven by continued growth from life science research, environmental/food testing and clinical applications.

2018 spectroscopy market by application sector.

Market size and growth estimates were adopted from TDA’s Industry Data, a database of technology market profiles and benchmarks covering laboratory and process analytical instrumentation that are updated quarterly. It also includes data from the 2019 Instrument Industry Outlook report from independent market research firm Top-Down Analytics (TDA). For more information, contact Glenn Cudiamat, general manager, at (888) 953-5655 or glenn.cudiamat@tdaresearch.com. Glenn is a market research expert who has been covering the analytical instrumentation industry for more than two decades.