Pittcon returned to Chicago, Illinois, this year, the conference and exhibition’s first visit to the city since 2014 (see IBO 3/15/17). Attendance was up, as the total number of conferees rose 19.3% to 8,800 (the latest numbers available from Pittcon as of the morning of March 9) compared to last year when the show was held in Atlanta, Georgia (see IBO 3/15/16). However, this is a decline of around 16% from 2014. Nonetheless, exhibitors with whom IBO spoke talked about good traffic on the exhibition floor and the advantages of Chicago for day-trip visitors.

Familiar themes were evident at the show, notably, software and informatics, ease of use and application-targeted systems. There were fewer press conferences this year and, as has been an ongoing pattern, fewer new product launches, as vendors showcased products introduced throughout the year.  MilliporeSigma and Thermo Fisher Scientific were among the companies launching significant new products at the show.

Product Themes

The opportunities made possible by cloud computing were highlighted the first day of the show with two major announcements. Thermo Fisher Scientific announced the acquisition of Core Informatics (Thermo Buys Data Management Firm), a provider of LIMS, ELN and SDMS systems, which brings greater cloud capabilities to the company. At its press conference, the company used the term “digital science solutions” to describe its integrated informatics solutions, which include tighter integration of its Chromeleon CDS and SampleManager LIMS systems. The same day, Waters announced the launch of the cloud version of its Empower CDS, providing what it called the basic building blocks for cloud IT, such as networking features and data storage. In addition, the company is offering professional service experts to work with customers using the system.

The emphasis on ease of use, driven in part by software interfaces, was apparent in many new products on the exhibit floor, including the Thermo Scientific iCAP TQ ICP-MS and CEM’s ORACLE Fat Analyzer. In discussing ease of use, many companies emphasized the ability of such features to make technologies more broadly accessible, thus opening up new application spaces and a broader base of users, as well as to increase productivity and time savings.

Likewise, several companies highlighted application-based systems that utilize software, ease of use, tailored instrument design and a turnkey solution to serve specific applications areas. Examples were Shimadzu’s Cannabis Analyzer for Potency Testing and Bruker’s MALDI PharmaPulse 2.O system for primary drug screening. However, for other technologies, notably atomic spectroscopy and materials characterization techniques, instruments with broad-based applications are still a mainstay. Such products at the show included PerkinElmer’s NexION 2000 ICP-MS and TA Instruments’ SDT 650 DSC/TGA.

Press Conferences

At Waters’ morning press conference, CEO Chris O’Connell highlighted the company’s emphasis on “transformational engineering” to realize more complete solutions that work together as one, noting that only 40% of the company’s revenue is now from instruments. He also noted that although technologies have advanced, applications of these technologies remain immature, with further market development needed.

At its press conference, Thermo Fisher discussed the value of the company’s broad product portfolio for creating workflow-based approaches, particularly for industries such as food and pharmaceuticals. The company also highlighted new products for the materials sciences, noting its ability to provide a multi-modal, multi-scale workflow for the field.

Shimadzu at its press conference emphasized its growing US manufacturing footprint and the ability of the company to draw on its medical systems division to inform product development for customers moving from analytical to clinical analyses. In addition, US management changes were announced.

Bruker announced at its Pittcon press conference the opening last month of its new Center of Excellence in Beijing, China, which will serve as the company’s Chinese headquarters and center of its Beijing operations. The company also discussed products for both the pharmaceutical and applied markets, including the announcement of its first UHPLC system. Bruker President and CEO Frank Laukien, PhD, noted at the press conference that the product will serve as a valuable front end for its MS product line.

Also debuting at Pittcon this year was the DURAN WHEATON KIMBLE brand, consisting of the formerly separate WHEATON Industries, Kimble Chase and DURAN brands, as well as UK-based SciLabWare, which are all owned by private equity firm One Equity Partners. Together, the companies will be known as DWK Life Sciences. Combined, the companies have 1,770 employees and offer 30,000 labware products, with manufacturing distributed globally. The company also announced new management, led by the appointment of new president of WHEATON industries, David Koi. He was formerly senior vice president, Global Portfolio Management, for the Fisher Scientific Channel at Thermo Fisher Scientific.

Pittcon 2018 will be held February 26–March 1 in Orlando, Florida.