The Pharmaceutical Automation Market is projected to reach $18.2 billion by 2029 at a CAGR of 12% from 2022 to 2029. The growth of this market is attributed to the increasing adoption of robots in pharmaceutical manufacturing, government initiatives to promote industrial development, rising investments in transforming conventional production facilities, and growing demand for safe and digitized production processes. The growing demand for IoT in pharmaceutical manufacturing and the huge demand for vaccine manufacturing for COVID-19 are expected to offer significant opportunities for the growth of this market.
The Impact of COVID-19 on the Global Pharmaceutical Automation Market
The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic increased the demand for testing and production, resulting in an increased demand for automation solutions. The pharma sector has transitioned from ad hoc automation deployments to implementing robots as an important tool in the global battle against COVID-19. The requirement for robot arms for viral DNA testing has increased due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Furthermore, many pharmaceutical companies have quickly adopted automation and robotics solutions for automated COVID-19 testing.
Pharmaceutical companies have effectively utilized the advantages of automation to maintain or increase production without compromising quality or safety. Automation has allowed pharmaceutical companies to ramp up production safely and build production lines faster and in a more scalable way. The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated pre-existing trends, such as flexible automation, digitalization, batch production, and personalization.
The COVID-19 pandemic propelled the demand for SCARA and collaborative robots for pharmaceutical manufacturing. Collaborative robots have allowed pharmaceutical research companies to automate repetitive tasks, and SCARA robots have enabled pharmaceutical companies to perform high-volume tasks such as COVID-19 sample testing with greater accuracy.
The increasing demand for vaccines is expected to increase the adoption of automation for pharmaceutical manufacturing. If the effects of vaccination are short-term due to virus mutations, there will be an increase in robotics adoption as more spending will be catered to automation and robotics by the pharmaceutical industry.
The pharmaceutical automation market is segmented based on component (enterprise-level controls [product lifecycle management, enterprise resource planning, manufacturing execution systems], plant instrumentation [motors & drives, robots, sensors, machine vision systems, relays & switches, and other plant instrumentation components], plant-level controls [supervisory control and data acquisition, distributed control systems, programmable logic controllers, other plant-level controls]), mode of automation (semi-automatic, fully-automatic), end user (pharmaceutical industry, biotech industry), and geography. The study also evaluates industry competitors and analyzes the market at the regional and country levels.

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Growing Demand for Safe and Digitized Production Processes to Support Market Growth
Industries are relying on automation to cut costs. Automation systems provide a faster response through real-time monitoring methods to take precautions before breakdowns. Automation reduces the risk of injuries as companies replace human labor with machines and robots to perform dangerous tasks. Safety automation software enables easy updates of safety protocols and creates plans of action for companies, aiding them in digitizing production processes.
International Labour Organization estimated that around 2.3 million women and men globally succumb to work-related accidents or diseases every year. Bureau of Labor Statistics stated that 5,250 fatal work injuries were recorded in the U.S. in 2018, an increase of 103 from 2017. Most frequent fatal events occurred due to transportation incidents involving contact with objects and equipment, increasing to 13% (from 695 to 786). There is a need for regulations regarding worker safety due to high risks. European Union proposed a directive to lay down minimum health and safety requirements for manual handling of loads where there is a risk, particularly back injury to workers.
According to Occupational Safety and Health Administration, worker injuries had gone down from 10.9 incidents per 100 workers in 1972 to 2.8 per 100 workers in 2017. This was achieved due to the increase in demand for industrial robots in sectors such as pharmaceutical manufacturing. The presence of industrial robots, collaborative robots, and warehouse robots is increasing, ensuring a sophisticated safety environment for employees. Collaborative robots or cobots, which are small in size and designed to work with humans, are now in demand. Collaborative robots have inbuilt safety measures for better functioning.
Key Findings in the Global Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Market Study:
Plant Instrumentation Segment to Grow at Highest CAGR During the Forecast Period
Based on component, the industrial automation market is segmented into plant instrumentation, plant-level controls, and enterprise-level controls. The plant instrumentation segment is projected to record the highest growth rate during the forecast period due to the high adoption of robots, sensors, machine vision systems, and 3D printing solutions across end-use industries. These components help control processes by integrating with the overall manufacturing control system and the logistics chain. The demand for robots has increased due to the consumers’ need to cater to a wide application area, as robots can be programmed to perform repetitive and risky tasks with consistent precision, accuracy, and quality. The technology used in robots allows them to operate round the clock, even in harsh environments, increasing productivity and profitability and reducing the human labor required for performing activities that might lead to physical injury, thereby increasing workplace safety and reducing labor costs.
Fully-automatic Segment to Witness Rapid Growth During the Forecast Period
Based on mode of automation, the market is segmented into semi-automatic and fully-automatic systems. The fully-automatic segment is expected to register a higher CAGR during the forecast period. The rapid growth of this segment is attributed to the increasing installation of complete automation solutions in end-use industries such as chemicals & materials, metals & mining, oil & gas, and paper & pulp. Fully-automatic solutions aid the companies in these industries to efficiently manage activities on-site and in offices. Mining & exploration activities are highly labor-intensive and require the proper functioning of management systems, efficiently facilitated by ERP solutions. These companies also use robots and automated systems that assist the human workforce in high-intensity tasks, offering enhanced productivity.
Pharmaceutical Industry Segment to Hold the Largest Market Share
Based on the end user, the market is segmented into pharmaceutical industry and biotech industry. In 2022, the pharmaceutical industry segment is expected to account for the largest share of the pharmaceutical automation market. The large market share of this segment is attributed to the rapid adoption of continuous improvement process (CIP) to improve production flexibility and efficiency and reduce wastage. Furthermore, prominent technology players such as Microsoft, IBM, and Google are engaged in developing automation and cloud solutions for the pharmaceutical and healthcare industry to close security gaps and protect healthcare and pharmaceutical production networks from external attacks.
Asia-Pacific Projected to Hold the Largest Market Share
In 2022, Asia-Pacific is expected to account for the largest share of the pharmaceutical automation market, followed by Europe and North America. Asia-Pacific’s large market share is attributed to high technical awareness regarding the usage of robotics in China, Japan, and Singapore. The Asian pharmaceutical manufacturing sector has robust production capabilities, which further fuels the demand for pharmaceutical automation solutions in Asia-Pacific. For instance, Thailand’s Mahidol University and the Institute of Molecular Biosciences used ABB YuMi cobot and an industrial robot that functions as part of the AI-Immunizer system to handle samples of viruses as well as antibodies. These robots can perform tasks such as unscrewing vials, transporting them to test stations, and performing repetitive actions to minimize risks to human operators.
Key Players
The key players operating in the pharmaceutical automation market include ABB Group (Switzerland), Rockwell Automation (U.S.), Siemens AG (Germany), Yaskawa Electric Corporation (Japan), Schneider Electric (France), Yokogawa Electric Corporation (Japan), KUKA AG (Germany), Emerson Electric (U.S.), Fanuc (Japan), Honeywell International (U.S.), Mitsubishi Electric Corporation (Japan), OMRON Corporation (Japan), Advantech Co., Ltd. (Taiwan), and Fuji Electric Co., Ltd. (Japan).
Scope of the Report:
Pharmaceutical Automation Market, by Component
- Enterprise-level Controls
- Product Lifecycle Management (PLM)
- Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP)
- Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES)
- Plant Instrumentation
- Motors & Drives
- Robots
- Articulated Robots
- SCARA
- Collaborative Robots
- Cartesian Robots
- Other Robots
- Sensors
- Machine Vision Systems
- Cameras
- Optics and Led Lighting
- Relays & Switches
- Other Plant Instrumentation Components
- Plant-Level Controls
- Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA)
- Distributed Control Systems (DCS)
- Programmable Logic Controllers (PLC)
- Other Plant-level Controls
Pharmaceutical Automation Market, by Mode of Automation
- Semi-automatic Systems
- Fully-automatic Systems
Pharmaceutical Automation Market, by End User
- Pharmaceutical Industry
- Biotech Industry
Pharmaceutical Automation Market, by Geography
- Asia-Pacific
- China
- Japan
- India
- South Korea
- Singapore
- Rest of Asia-Pacific (RoAPAC)
- Europe
- Germany
- U.K.
- Italy
- Netherlands
- Sweden
- France
- Spain
- Rest of Europe (RoE)
- North America
- Latin America
- Brazil
- Mexico
- Rest of Latin America (RoLATAM)
- Middle East & Africa
- South Africa
- UAE
- Saudi Arabia
- Rest of the Middle East & Africa (RoMEA)
Key Questions Answered in the Report: