ALA Laboratory Automation Survey 2008:Section 2

From LabAutopedia

A LabAutopedia invited article

ALA 2008 Laboratory Automation Survey
Authored by: Steven D. Hamilton, Santias Consulting

The ALA recently conducted a survey of laboratory automation system providers and industrial users, as a detailed followup to the 2006 Survey on the State of Industrial Laboratory Automation. In many cases, similar questions were posed to compare the focus and priorities of automation users vs. providers. The responses will be presented in the following series of articles. A detailed article with editorial commentary from both the vendor and user community will be published in JALA later in 2009.

The cost for 2008 Laboratory Automation Industry Research was graciously underwritten by Agilent Technologies, Caliper Life Sciences, PerkinElmer, Symyx Technologies, and Thermo Fisher Scientific

SECTION 2: AUTOMATION TRENDS
See Also - Section 1: Use and Needs , Section 3: Organizations & Lab Automation or Section 4:Demographics

2.1 Characterize the state of laboratory automation in the following disciplines as embryonic, developing, or mature:
Technology User	Technology Provider

2.2 My organizations focus on the following types of laboratory automation is increasing, decreasing, or constant:

The drivers for the above trends are:

2.3 Miniaturizaton
Technology Users: Do you see a clear trend in your organization toward miniaturization of laboratory processes and procedures?	Yes=63%	No=37%
Technology Providers: Is there a clear trend toward miniaturization of laboratory processes & procedures among your customer base?	Yes=77%	No=23%
The drivers for the above trends are:

2.4 Laboratory automation standards
Technology Users: Would additional standards in the field of laboratory automation and instrumentation facilitate your use of the technology?	Yes=56%	No=44%
Technology Providers: Would additional standards in the field of laboratory automation and instrumentation help your company's development of new products?	Yes=69%	No=31%
What types of standards could help the most?