Männedorf, Switzerland – December 2, 2025 — Tecan (SIX: TECN), a global leader in laboratory automation, today announced the acquisition of key assets from Wako Automation, including its flagship scheduling software Director™ and selected hardware modules. The transaction was completed on December 1, 2025, marking a major strategic step to broaden Tecan’s robotic workcell offerings beyond its core liquid-handling platforms. tecan.com+1
Why the Acquisition Matters — Strategic Expansion of Tecan
For decades, Tecan has built a reputation on delivering robust liquid-handling automation instruments and workflows to laboratories worldwide.
With this acquisition, Tecan signals its ambition to move beyond traditional pipetting and liquid-handling, embracing complex robotic workcell orchestration to address growing demand for integrated, high-throughput lab automation.
By integrating Wako Automation’s scheduling software and hardware into its global automation business unit — Tecan Labwerx — Tecan aims to provide customers with end-to-end lab automation solutions combining scheduling, robotics, and fluidics under a unified platform.
According to Tecan’s CEO, Monica Manotas:
“Robotic workcells are an exciting growth area for Tecan’s automation offering, and the addition of Wako’s expertise will help us accelerate our custom lab automation business, Labwerx.”
This move strengthens Tecan’s market positioning, enabling the company to support more complex workflows and deliver scalable automation solutions tailored to the evolving needs of biopharma, diagnostics, clinical research, and applied science laboratories.
What the Acquisition Includes — Capabilities and Integration
Director™ Scheduling Software & Hardware Modules
The core of the acquisition is Wako Automation’s Director™ scheduling software — a proven orchestration engine that enables flexible, dynamic scheduling of robotic workcells. Paired with selected hardware modules acquired in the deal, this software enables seamless coordination of robotic arms, liquid-handling platforms, incubators, and other lab instruments, allowing labs to run sophisticated, multi-step workflows automatically. tecan.com
This acquisition builds on the foundation laid by Tecan’s earlier licensing of Wako’s technology under its FlowPilot scheduling software, indicating that demand and market momentum justified full integration.
Integration via Tecan Labwerx
The Wako assets will be folded into Tecan Labwerx — the company’s global unit dedicated to custom lab automation solutions. This structure enables Tecan to offer a unique combination of software, hardware, service, and workflow design, positioning it to address not just standard lab tasks, but complex, high-throughput processes required in modern life-science, pharmaceutical and diagnostic labs.
Enhanced Offering Beyond Liquid Handling
The extended offering allows laboratories and biopharma companies to leverage not only traditional pipetting and liquid-handling automation (e.g. Tecan’s Fluent platforms) but also sophisticated robotic orchestration, multi-module scheduling, and end-to-end workflow automation — all under one provider’s ecosystem.
Market Impact & Strategic Significance
Addressing Growing Demand for Complex Lab Workflows
As life-science research, drug development, diagnostics, and biopharma scale up, labs increasingly require automation that can handle complex, multi-step workflows — e.g. sample prep → liquid handling → incubation → detection → data capture. Tecan’s enhanced capabilities can reduce manual intervention, increase throughput, minimize error, and accelerate research timelines.
Diversifying Business & Reducing Dependency on Traditional Automation Models
The acquisition allows Tecan to diversify beyond its traditional focus on liquid-handling robotics. By offering a full-stack automation solution (software + hardware + orchestration), Tecan reduces dependency on single-product revenue streams and positions itself as a comprehensive automation partner for labs globally.
Strengthening Tecan’s Competitive Advantage in Automation & OEM Markets
Tecan has long been recognized as a pioneer in laboratory automation and OEM supply — developing instruments and components for life-science, diagnostics and medical devices.
With the integration of Wako assets, Tecan broadens its value proposition, offering advanced robotics orchestration and custom automation — capabilities that few competitors may match, especially in an integrated offering combining scheduling software, robotics, and fluidics.
Appeal to Biopharma, Clinical Diagnostics and Research Institutions
The expanded offering is particularly relevant for high-throughput labs, biotech firms, pharmaceutical R&D pipelines, diagnostic companies, and research institutions that demand scalability, flexibility, and reliability. For labs looking to modernize their operations or scale throughput, Tecan now offers an all-in-one automation solution.
What Customers & Stakeholders Should Expect Next
With the acquisition completed, key developments to watch:
- Deployment of Director™ scheduling software + hardware modules within Tecan’s Labwerx offerings for new customers.
- Launch of integrated automation systems combining Tecan’s liquid-handling platforms and Wako’s orchestration capabilities — particularly targeted at complex workflows and high-throughput labs.
- Expanded global availability through Tecan’s existing sales and service network (70+ countries), enabling access to advanced automation even in regions earlier served only by basic liquid-handling tools.
- Enhanced custom solutions, tailored for clients in biopharma, diagnostics, research and applied markets, where automation and orchestration yield significant productivity gains.
- Potential increase in demand as labs upgrade from manual or semi-automated workflows to full robotic orchestration, especially where throughput, reproducibility and scalability matter.
About Tecan
Tecan is a Swiss-based global provider of laboratory instruments and automation solutions, serving pharmaceutical, biotechnology, clinical diagnostics, forensic, and medical-device sectors. Established in 1980, the company specializes in developing and manufacturing automated workflow solutions — from liquid-handling robotics to OEM instruments and comprehensive lab automation systems. Wikipedia
With operations spanning multiple continents, Tecan maintains manufacturing, R&D, sales, and service networks across Europe, North America and Asia. The company’s platforms are used worldwide to accelerate scientific discovery, diagnostics, and drug development — and with this acquisition, Tecan solidifies its leadership by moving into advanced robotic workcell orchestration and integrated automation solutions.
What This Means for Industry & Automation Landscape
- For laboratories and biopharma companies: Access to a more powerful, integrated automation solution that reduces manual overhead, improves throughput, and supports complex workflows end-to-end.
- For the automation and OEM market: A shift in competitive dynamics — Tecan’s expanded offering may set a new standard for full-stack lab automation, possibly spurring peers to respond with similar integrated solutions.
- For global research and diagnostic infrastructure: Broader availability of advanced automation systems through Tecan’s global footprint may democratize access to high-throughput lab capabilities, even in regions with limited existing lab automation infrastructure.
- For investors and corporate strategists: The acquisition underscores Tecan’s growth strategy beyond traditional instrumentation, positioning it as a comprehensive automation partner — which may strengthen long-term value, diversify revenue streams, and reduce exposure to cyclical instrumentation demand.
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