IMADEK Breaks Into Global Markets with Modular and Platform-Based Innovation in Life Science Automation, Securing Tens of Millions in Overseas Orders

In recent years, with the deepening of life science research, particularly the continuous iteration of gene sequencing technologies and the rapid development of precision medicine, there has been a significant increase in demand for precise, intelligent, and highly efficient automated instruments, thereby strongly driving the rapid growth of the life science automation systems market. According to QYResearch data, the market size of China’s life science automation systems reached USD 1.087 billion in 2022 and is projected to reach USD 1.506 billion by 2029.

However, beneath this prosperity, domestic enterprises still face numerous challenges. The global high-end scientific instrument market has long been firmly dominated by overseas companies. Domestic firms not only rely heavily on imported core technologies, bearing high procurement costs, but also face significant constraints in technological updates and customized services. Meanwhile, the domestic market has become mired in hyper-competitive “involution,” which severely undermines the healthy development of the industry.

In this landscape, Changsha IMADEK Intelligent Technology Co., Ltd. (IMADEK), as a leading domestic platform enterprise focused on automation in the life sciences sector, has consistently prioritized instrument intelligence and successfully built a complete industrial chain ecosystem. The company holds more than 170 intellectual property rights, including 38 invention patents and 36 software copyrights. It has grown into a commercializable and implementable manufacturer of life science automation instruments, with in-house developed underlying algorithms, a modular hardware library, and capabilities in modular design, iterative development, and production.

Wang Peng, Founder and Chairman of Medike, has dedicated 24 years to the life sciences sector, accumulating extensive and distinctive professional experience that has served as a key catalyst and driving force behind Medike’s establishment and growth.

As a former clinical laboratory physician, Wang Peng deeply experienced the various inconveniences associated with imported life science instruments and reagent consumables in his daily practice.“At that time, there were almost no domestically produced devices in clinical laboratories across China, forcing us to rely on imports. However, these foreign-made devices often failed to adapt well to local conditions. Yet, constrained by technological dependence, we doctors had no choice but to alter our workflows and accommodate the limitations of the machines.” Wang Peng felt deeply frustrated by this passive situation.

Subsequently, Wang Peng joined a leading multinational corporation in the global precision manufacturing sector as a senior engineer. This transition from “client” to “vendor” not only exposed him to cutting-edge international technologies but also deepened his awareness of the numerous drawbacks associated with foreign-made equipment.“Take quality control as an example. From a technical perspective, making flexible modifications according to domestic requirements is not difficult; however, foreign companies impose strict restrictions on adjustments to related technologies. In addition, users are required to purchase designated consumables, which significantly increases the cost of use.” These pain points allowed Wang Peng to keenly identify the opportunity for import substitution with Chinese-made products amidst substantial demand.

In 2016, Medico was officially established with the initial mission of breaking foreign technological monopolies by developing and manufacturing life science automation equipment tailored to the needs of the Chinese market. Since its inception, Medico has consistently regarded technological innovation as the core driver of corporate growth, achieving key breakthroughs in multiple “chokepoint” areas and providing the industry with higher-quality, more cost-effective products and services.

Taking “pipetting,” the most common task in laboratories, as an example, its precision directly affects the accuracy and reliability of experimental results and is crucial for the consistency and reproducibility of experimental data, serving as the cornerstone of scientific research and clinical diagnosis.

Air-displacement pipettes represent the most widely used and mature technology for micro-volume liquid handling, characterized by stable performance and ease of operation, making them suitable for most routine pipetting applications. However, as their operating principle relies on the movement and compression of air, pipetting accuracy is susceptible to environmental conditions (such as temperature and atmospheric pressure) and liquid properties (such as viscosity and volatility). This issue has become a key bottleneck constraining industry development.

Faced with challenges, Wang Peng led the Meditech technical team through years of in-depth research and repeated trials,Proprietary Temperature Compensation Algorithm for Pipetting Pumps. The algorithm can accurately sense working environments with varying air pressures and temperatures and respond rapidly, based on the air expansion coefficient and laws governing atmospheric pressure changes. In addition, Medico has establishedSoftware Liquid Parameter Database Algorithm, precisely calculate and maintain corresponding parameters for liquids of varying concentrations and characteristics (such as alcohol, honey, milk, etc.), thereby ensuring the stability and accuracy of pipetting precision during the liquid handling process.

Medic Self-Developed Pipetting Platform

Image courtesy of Medike

Meanwhile, the technology of “precision in vitro sample addition and pipetting components,” as a key core technology, has been included in the Catalogue for Innovative Development of Industrial Foundations. Leveraging its profound technical expertise and outstanding innovation capabilities in related fields, Medick has actively tackled this challenge and successfullyResolves the accuracy and stability issues of traditional pipettes in complex environments.

Specifically, the Maidike high-precision pipetting system achieves a pipetting accuracy of ≤2.5%, a pipetting speed of under 30 seconds, and a pipetting range of 1–1000 µL, reaching an internationally advanced level. It fills the domestic technological gap in this field, providing robust technical support and assurance for the independent and controllable development of key industries such as healthcare, animal husbandry, agriculture, and industry, thereby effectively promoting high-quality development and industrial upgrading within China.

In the field of life sciences automation, the traditional bespoke customization model—involving the entire process from requirements analysis and solution design to component machining, prototype assembly, and final delivery and acceptance—is complex and time-consuming, typically requiring more than a year. This approach not only demands substantial investments in manpower, materials, and time but also suffers from drawbacks such as inability to scale for mass production, prolonged development cycles, and unclear return on investment, thereby severely impairing corporate operational efficiency and customer experience.

To better meet the diverse demands of the market, Medike has modularized the various functions of its automated equipment. By implementing modularity in electronics, mechanics, and software, the company has established a modular design platform that enables “building-block” style development of complete machines.“Through this innovative model, the time required to deliver solutions to our clients has been reduced from one month to just over an hour, while the prototype development cycle has been shortened from the traditional 3–5 months to as little as one month.”

Specifically, Medick’s “Standardized Modular Hardware Library” encompasses more than twenty functional modules, including pipetting modules, cap opening/closing modules, plate centrifugation modules, and nitrogen blow-down modules.Modular hardware supports flexible configuration and upgrades based on customer requirements, which not only enhances product compatibility and versatility, reduces redundant development costs associated with customization, and significantly shortens the development cycle, but also enables rapid adaptation to market changes and diverse application scenarios, thereby providing new insights and models for the establishment of industry standards.

In the process of advancing modular product innovation, Medike also faces the critical challenge of substituting core components with domestically produced alternatives. Wang Peng stated, “In our pursuit of domestic substitution, we found that certain domestically produced parts cannot directly meet the performance standards of their foreign counterparts, resulting in a performance gap. However, we did not give up; instead, we actively explored solutions.”

The Medike team has addressed the performance limitations of domestically produced components by optimizing algorithms, while simultaneously strengthening collaboration with domestic supply chain enterprises to jointly advance technological R&D and quality improvement initiatives.After years of effort, Medico has successfully achieved full domestic substitution of key components, ranging from chips to sensors, motors, and guide rails. This has not only enhanced the stability and autonomy of product supply but also reduced product costs by 60%–70%.

In terms of software, Medike has also achieved significant results by successfully developing an advanced software management platform that enables modular programming and design.When using this software, users need only specify their requirements; the platform rapidly integrates and transforms relevant information from its module library to generate a visualized digital model. Through simple drag-and-drop operations, users can complete the programming of device functionality, eliminating the need for complex coding by professional engineers as required in traditional approaches, thereby significantly enhancing operational convenience and efficiency.

“The key to the rise of China’s domestic instrumentation industry lies in building an ecosystem for its industrial chain.”

Under the leadership of founder Wang Peng, Maidike has undergone nearly a decade of accumulation, continuously expanding the application scenarios of its existing technology platforms. It has successfully established multiple mature and comprehensive solution systems, coveringLaboratory Workflow Automation Solutions, One-Stop Automated Biobanking Solutions, Life Science Tools Automation Solutions, One-Stop Routine Molecular Diagnostics Automation Solutions, One-Stop Pre-analytical Solutions for Methylation Testing, and Industrial Inspection Scenario Solutionsand others, establishing a benchmark for diversified and specialized services within the industry.

Meanwhile, the Medics team has been deeply cultivating its underlying technology platform, guided by customer needs and committed to providing comprehensive, high-quality solutions. Against the backdrop of the current market’s urgent demand for miniaturization and integration of instruments,The team is fully dedicated to developing a next-generation pipetting module with a thickness of only 8.6 millimeters, which could become the thinnest pipetting module on the market.This module not only achieves breakthroughs in compact integration capabilities but also further enhances flexibility and pipetting performance. Leveraging a robust technical team and extensive industry experience, Maidike continuously drives equipment upgrades and iterations, focuses on addressing critical industry pain points, and persistently explores solutions, thereby injecting new vitality into industry development.

In terms of industrial chain collaboration, Medico has established in-depth partnerships with multiple leading industry enterprises to jointly carry out technological R&D and promote product applications. Meanwhile, the company is also expanding international cooperation and continuously improving the construction of its global sales channels.It is reported that since launching its overseas expansion plan in 2022, Medike’s products have successfully entered the markets of European countries such as Spain, Germany, Russia, and Turkey. The order volume has reached tens of millions, demonstrating a robust and steady year-on-year growth trend.

Undoubtedly, the expansion into overseas markets has brought new business growth points to Medike and further enhanced its brand's international influence.Currently, to further accelerate new product R&D, efficiently establish sales channels, and deeply explore overseas markets, Medike has launched a new round of financing, aiming to leverage the strong momentum of the capital market to drive the company’s leapfrog development.

Looking back, under the leadership of Wang Peng, Medike has forged a solid path of development, overcoming numerous challenges at its inception, achieving breakthroughs in technology and product innovation, and gradually expanding into overseas markets. Looking ahead, Medike is poised to enhance its market competitiveness by leveraging its technological innovation capabilities, service advantages, and strategic market layout, thereby contributing greater strength to the advancement of the industry.