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20 Years of Success and Growing: Analytik Jena Approaches Future with Strength and Optimism
Analytik Jena proud developers of leading spectroscopy systems and instruments for the analytical and life sciences markets celebrates its twentieth anniversary this year, following two decades which have seen it rise from small supplier to a substantial innovative group with international market presence. Rooted with a strong focus on early stage R&D partnerships, a powerful belief in the quality of its products and skills of its employees and encompassing technology based on the vast experience of the former Carl Zeiss (Jena) spectroscopy division, Analytik Jena today comprises of three intertwined business units consisting of manufacturing outlets in Germany and focussed centres of excellence worldwide. The core Analytical Group which supplies high end research instruments has also been the foundation for provision of technological capability and support to the Life Science and Optics Business Units: together all three businesses have firmly established the company’s German brand products alongside those of leading competitors.
Systematically Adapting to New Tasks
Founded jointly by Klaus Berka and Jens Adomat in 1990, the company formed during a period of significant historical importance following the ‘peaceful revolution’ of 1989 which resulted in the breakdown of the barriers dividing East and West Germany. The social and political upheaval following the reunification of Germany presented huge challenges to industry based in the Eastern sector as Torsten Olschewski - Vice President Sales/ Support/ Marketing and one of the longest serving employees recalls:
“Twenty years of distribution at Analytik Jena means hard work... and a persistent hope and an uncompromising belief of being able to tackle it. We started by selling our products in East Germany exclusively, with initially a strong focus on environmental analysis. We successfully expanded to the western part of Germany, a difficult market for East German companies. We were able to win many customers especially in the beginning and they have remained loyal and are still with us today. Our staff had also to adapt slowly and systematically to their new tasks. They had to get familiar with new areas then.”
This was important especially on the Eastern European market. Over the past years, we have particularly grown in Asia where China is an important market; As a small company, we have achieved a lot through flexibility, flat hierarchies and a high level of communication amongst each of the businesses,.” Mr Olschewski added.
Today manufacturing continues to preside in Germany and despite several relocations in the past decade, the headquarters remain firmly based in Jena, where it has always been an important local employer and developer of strong research partnerships with academic institutions. Any visitor to the premises can sense an air of pride in the workplace, noticable when viewing either the prized early instruments collection – including the first flame photometer and first AAS instrument from Carl Zeiss – or the company’s own modern products.
Corina Steidl, Head of Marketing, comments: “The road to success is based on a clear philosophy – “Made in Germany” and Analytik Jena is proud of its history. The company consciously decided upon the location in Germany because of outstanding expertise and motivated employees. Facing market leaders with regard to financial power, huge sales and service organisations and market experience, the company has succeeded in growing every year. “Made in Germany” is an image advantage in some regions, often associated with outstanding technology. Customers trust in us as a notable high-quality instrument supplier and compare Analytik Jena with other well known German brands. Of course sometimes it´s quite hard to face up to competitive products with respect to the price, but at the end we are happy with the decision to stay located in Germany. The success is shown in sales figures.”
“Customers are always the focus of development at Analytik Jena. They benefit from application-oriented total solutions. These include not only laboratory technology such as analysers and software solutions, but also optical consumer products and laboratory consumables as well as comprehensive services,” Ms Steidl added.
Klaus Berka, CEO and Torsten Olschewski, Vice President Sales, Support & Marketing.
Although the distribution structure had to grow slowly over many years, in 1995 the impetus for growth was accelerated when the company were able to acquire the analytical instruments division of Carl Zeiss (Jena), which with a history dating back to 1846 and development of its first spectroscopy system in1874, immediately expanded Analytik Jena’s production capacity, brought in additional highly skilled staff and enhanced R& D resources. The company concentrated at this time on manufacture of high-end systems for analysing liquids, solids and gases in environmental, foodstuffs, pharmaceutical, medical and agricultural sectors.
“A change was brought about with the purchase of the Zeiss analytical measuring technology since it was the first time that the company’s own products could now be sold,” continued Mr Olschewski
With markets already established in the east through former CZ contacts the company was now able to turn attention to growing the company’s product offerings and establishing footholds in the wider international arena. In 1997 the DOCTER®
Brand manufacturing and
optical solutions business was acquired and in 1999 the company became a stock corporation before going public in 2000. This generated EUR 20 million in cash which financed the initial expansion. A further opportunity for the company came in 2002, when PerkinElmer decided to withdraw its operations from Germany; Analytik Jena were able to take over the former company’s existing facility at Lake Constance, adding further production capacity to help to meet the requirements of the now expanding business. From 2004 the focus was firmly on global markets and the foundation of subsidiaries in USA, Japan, UK and Romania followed.
“The actual internationalisation of the distribution started with the initial public offering and the related means. Again, it was a time which brought many new challenges - communication channels, multilingualism, traveling, specific mentalities, altered decision processes and legal conditions. Thanks to our Zeiss roots, we entered the international market with a known brand with high reputation.
With products ranging from spectroscopy instruments, sample preparation systems, and elemental analysers to bioanalytical instruments, kits for clinical and molecular diagnostics and consumer products like binoculars it was the launch of a particular AAS system in 2004 that has been the most significant in firmly establishing Analytik Jena as an important competitor within the analytical instrument business.
COMPANY FOCUS
Heike Gleisner (Senior Application Specialist, Optical Spectroscopy) demonstrates the contrAA system to Twan Heesakkers from International Labmate
In the development laboratories, specialists working with these instruments are clearly enthusiastic about the capability of the products: “The introduction of High Resolution Continuum Source (HR-CS) Technique is undoubtedly the greatest innovation in AAS in the last 45 years,” commented Heike Gleisner - Senior Application Specialist, Optical Spectroscopy. “Now it is possible to perform fast and sequential analysis using only one single radiation source for all detectable elements in AAS. HR-CS AAS provides the entire spectral wavelength range from near vacuum UV to the near infrared. The multi-element barrier of traditional AAS is overcome. Nowadays the determination of classical AAS elements can also expand to non- metals such as sulphur, phosphor, fluor and chlorine using diatomic molecular absorption (MAS). Last but not least HR-CS technique also offers a lot more advantages compared to classical AAS determination: easy handling, fast readiness and low operating costs. All background corrections are carried out simultaneously. High and fast background signals can be corrected as well as molecular line overlapping and opens therefore a new dimension in background correction.
Sales Development Instruments Business: Analytik Jena.
“The High-resolution Continuum Source AAS – contrAA – exceeds the performance of conventional AA spectrometers in all parameters. This new technology represents previously unattained effectiveness and quality of measurement results. This innovative instrument closes the gap between ICP-OES and AAS. The use of a xenon lamp as a continuous source of radiation opens up the entire wavelength range relevant for AAS for the customer in just one step. Now the sequential multi-element analysis has become standard providing enormous savings in time and cost of materials,” Ms Steidl said.
Following this innovation, a new generation of elemental analysers, the multi EA 5000 was launched in 2008 Suited to modern petrochemical application requirements, its modular principle means that the system can be constructed individually.
Dr Angela Groebel - Product Specialist Elemental Analysis
INTERNATIONAL LABMATE - FEBRUARY/MARCH 2010 - COMPANY FOCUS
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