“Indian centrifuge market is increasingly moving from price-driven to value- and trust-driven buying”

How has demand for centrifuges in India changed over the last 2–3 years, and which segments are driving the strongest growth?

Over the last couple of years, we have seen strong and steady growth in centrifuge demand, particularly across pharma, biopharma, diagnostics and research. Customers are increasingly looking beyond price towards reliability, safety, application-specific performance and advanced features.

With 23+ years of experience and a portfolio of 20+ centrifuge models, we have witnessed this shift firsthand. The market is clearly moving towards more sophisticated, application-focused centrifugation solutions and this is where we see significant opportunity for Indian manufacturers.

What are Indian customers increasingly prioritising when purchasing centrifuges? 

While price and capacity remain important, customers are increasingly looking at safety, reliability, ease of operation and total cost of ownership. Over the years, we have built deep in-house engineering and manufacturing expertise, with control over even the smallest components used in our centrifuges. This reduces our dependence on external suppliers and allows us to respond faster to customer requirements, service needs and spare-part requirements.

Beyond technology, our strength is close, responsive lifecycle support - faster service, better spare availability and shorter turnaround times. For customers, where uptime is critical, this combination of in-house expertise, technology and local support can be as important as the machine’s specifications itself.

How would you assess the technology gap between Indian and global centrifuge manufacturers today? 

I would see it less as a technology gap and more as an evolving technology curve. Indian manufacturers have made significant progress in equipment engineering, precision manufacturing & safety. At the same time, areas such as advanced automation, software, connectivity and workflow integration offer further opportunities to innovate in India’s centrifuge market.

At Accumax, what gives us confidence is the growing investment in in-house R&D, electronics and engineering capabilities allowing us to combine global benchmarks with Indian engineering, localisation and customer-focused innovation.

Is the Indian centrifuge market still largely price-driven, or are customers increasingly willing to pay for higher-performance and application-specific systems? 

It is not just about price, customers are increasingly willing to pay for performance, reliability and strong support. Ultimately, they are paying for peace of mind - knowing that the equipment will perform reliably and that service and spares will be available if needed. So, I believe the market is increasingly moving from price-driven to value- and trust-driven buying. 

What are the biggest barriers for Indian centrifuge manufacturers seeking to enter higher-value segments and compete globally?

For us, global competition is not a future ambition, it is an established reality. With a presence across 130+ countries, we have built the technology, manufacturing depth, quality systems and global support capabilities required to compete at the highest level. Our international footprint is a strong validation of the quality, reliability and consistency of our products.

For other Indian manufacturers looking to expand globally, the key is to move beyond domestic benchmarks and consistently meet international quality, regulatory and performance expectations. Global leadership is ultimately built on consistent quality, innovation, reliability and customer trust. 

What share of Accumax’s overall business comes from centrifugation, and how has this segment grown over the last 2–3 years?

Centrifuge range currently contributes approximately around 8 per cent of our overall business, and we see strong potential for further growth. With the introduction of new models and expanded applications, we expect this contribution to reach around 10–12 per cent going forward. We see centrifugation as a strategically important and growing business for us. 

How has Accumax’s expansion into laboratory equipment, bioprocessing and single-use solutions changed its business strategy and revenue mix over the last 2–3 years?

We have always believed in contributing more each day. With our strong expertise in plastic laboratory consumables manufacturing, we identified a significant gap in the domestic bioprocessing market, where customers were often dependent on overseas suppliers for single-use solutions, with longer lead times, higher costs and very limited flexibility.

This led us to launch BioMax Bioprocess Solutions in 2024, offering a comprehensive range of single-use assemblies, bioprocess bags and single-use mixers up to 1,000 litres. Our key differentiators are customisation flexibility, in-house gamma sterilisation and complete cleanroom manufacturing of our components. We also openly invite customers to audit our manufacturing and quality processes, giving them direct visibility and confidence in what goes into their bioprocess. Combined with local responsiveness, this gives customers an advantage that is often difficult to achieve with overseas suppliers—greater flexibility, transparency and faster support. Ultimately, in bioprocessing, everything starts with one non-negotiable foundation: trust. 

What are Accumax’s key growth priorities for the next 3–5 years? 

Our ambition over the next few years is to innovate across the entire life-sciences ecosystem from lab consumables and equipment to advanced bioprocessing solutions. We see tremendous headroom in bioprocessing and intend to build a much broader portfolio of indigenous, high-quality and application-focused technologies.

Our upcoming range of Upscale downstream processing solutions is an important step in this direction. We are also exploring opportunities in large-scale bioreactors, chromatography columns and advanced tubing systems. Our goal is to go beyond individual products and build a comprehensive technology ecosystem supporting customers across the bioprocessing workflow. 

How is Accumax balancing growth in India with its international expansion?

We see India and international markets as complementary growth engines. Our focus is to build capabilities that are globally competitive while staying deeply responsive to customer needs—through continued investments in manufacturing capacity, R&D, technology, quality and application-driven innovation.

Personally, it is extremely fulfilling to be part of an organisation that is on such a strong growth journey. I am proud to be actively contributing to this mission and helping shape the next phase of Accumax’s growth. For me, the opportunity is not just to grow the business, but to help build a globally recognised life-sciences brand—Engineered in India, Trusted worldwide.

How many centrifuge units does Accumax sell annually in India, how has this volume changed over the last 2–3 years?

The business has grown steadily as we have expanded our portfolio and strengthened our presence across different applications.  We have seen healthy and consistent growth in our centrifuge business over the years, driven by increasing adoption across diagnostics, research, pharma and biopharma applications.  

Our volumes are spread across laboratory and clinical applications, with a growing contribution from research, pharmaceutical and biopharma customers. The market is also becoming more application-specific, with customers increasingly looking for the right combination of speed, capacity, temperature control, safety and workflow requirements rather than a one-size-fits-all solution.

Mansi Jamsudkar Padvekar

mansi.jamsudkar@mmactiv.com