Kalorama has issued their latest report on Lab Automation Markets, 3rd. Edition (Systems, Key Companies, Forecasts and Trends).

Medical labs must automate non-essential tasks in order to survive. The reduction of government reimbursements for lab tests and managed care cost-restraint measures are forcing clinical labs to become more productive and cost efficient. The quest for efficiency, however, is confronted with the decreasing availability of trained lab techs and an expanding menu of diagnostic testing protocols. This is where lab automation steps in, according to Kalorama Information's report on the topic, and it's a key driver of this $10.4 billion market.

The above mentioned issues are challenging the ability of many clinical laboratories to remain competitive. In order to survive in the future, it will be necessary for labs to run more tests; test in fewer sites; operate with less equipment; maintain lower operating costs; hire less skilled labor; and harness additional automation.

Labor accounts for more than 60% of the cost of producing lab test results. Automating a lab increases the available time for value-added steps -- the tasks that technologists perform that help make a difference in the quality of the test -- such as reviewing critical results.

Lab Automation Markets, 3rd Edition analyzes the current and potential world markets for medical laboratory automation systems and equipment - both for clinical diagnostics and drug discovery research laboratories. It is an essential business planning tool for top automation companies, allowing them to benefit from estimates of that part of the market which is most beneficial to them. Detailed company profiles of 30 key industry players help in assessing the competition.