Instruments Market Is Projected to Reach $170 Million by 2003

As spectroscopy moves out of the scientific laboratory and onto the manufacturing floor, analysts predict the overall instruments market will continue to grow -- at an average annual rate of 4.1 percent during the next five years. The projection came from a recently published report from market monitor Business Communications Co. Inc. in Norwalk, Conn.

The leading category for growth will be in UV and visible instruments, including spectrophotometers and spectrometers. Near-IR analyzers will continue to play an important role within the process industry, especially in chemical, food and pharmaceutical applications. Fourier transform devices will grow at a 3.3 percent rate driven by technological advances, the company predicted.