Alliance with Berlin-based technology company Schmidt + Haensch in the field of refractometry

Sartorius presents the new Brixxus refractometer series for laboratory applications

Goettingen | Berlin – Sartorius, a leading international laboratory and process equipment provider, has extended its portfolio of instruments for laboratory and process analytics. Sartorius will collaborate with the measurement technology firm Schmidt + Haensch, and add the latter’s refractometers to its line of products. Schmidt + Haensch is a leading company in opto-electronic measurement technology with more than 140 years of experience in this field. Refractometers are opto-electronic instruments which enable the measurement of concentrations in liquids, such as the sugar content, or the dry substance content in foods. These instruments are used in laboratories and in manufacturing processes of the food and pharmaceutical industries for process control and quality assurance.

Sartorius already unveiled its first refractometers for lab applications at this year’s Analytica in Munich, Germany. In a second phase, Sartorius will also offer sensors and equipment for in-line process analytics. In addition to high-quality laboratory refractometers, continuous in-line process monitoring equipment permits the direct control of the manufacturing process.

Refractometry is an ideal addition to the Sartorius product range for monitoring and control of critical parameters, especially in food production. “As manufacturers work in compliance with strict regulatory requirements and, on top of this, are under high cost pressure, it is becoming more and more important for them to be able to measure process-critical parameters, such as sugar or fat content and dry substance, quickly and precisely and to control these parameters directly in their processes. By knowing these values, manufacturers are able to control their processes much more cost-efficiently and reliably. Schmidt + Haensch equipment is a perfect fit for our marketing strategy of operating as a total solution provider for quality assurance in the food and pharmaceutical industries,” commented Reinhard Vogt, Executive Vice President for Sales, Marketing and Service at Sartorius.

Schmidt + Haensch will benefit from the global sales, distribution and marketing structures provided by Sartorius and from the latter’s long-standing contacts with customers in the food and pharmaceutical industries. “We believe that with Sartorius, we have found an ideal sales partner for the growing market of laboratory and process refractometry. Thanks to its global sales network, Sartorius is excellently positioned to present our high-quality, quantitative measurement equipment for quality and process analytics, refractometry, to a wide customer base,” said Mathis Kuchejda, the chief executive of Schmidt + Haensch.

A Profile of Sartorius

The Sartorius Group is a leading international laboratory and process technology provider covering the segments of biotechnology and mechatronics. In 2009, the technology group earned sales revenue of 602.1 million euros. Founded in 1870, the Goettingen-based company currently employs approximately 4,350 persons. The major areas of activity in its biotechnology segment focus on fermentation, filtration, fluid management, purification and laboratory applications. In the mechatronics segment, the company primarily manufactures equipment and systems featuring weighing, measurement and automation technology for laboratory and industrial applications. Key Sartorius customers are from the pharmaceutical, chemical and food and beverage industries and from numerous research and educational institutes of the public sector. Sartorius has its own production facilities in Europe, Asia and America as well as sales subsidiaries and local commercial agencies in more than 110 countries.

A Profile of Schmidt + Haensch

Schmidt + Haensch is a measurement technology company headquartered in Berlin, Germany, and has been specializing in opto-electronic measuring equipment since 1864. The company offers its worldwide customers polarimeters, refractometers and colorimeters featuring the highest precision. By introducing new referencing methods, the company today is the leading supplier of analytical equipment for the sugar industry. In this area, the company focuses on laboratory analysis, which covers both automatic analyzers for “manless” operation and electronically controlled laboratory database-oriented lab data capturing systems. A further business field covers intelligent process sensors. Schmidt + Haensch process refractometers enable differences in concentrations in liquids of the widest origins to be measured directly. These process refractometers also enable further parameters, such as turbidity and other specific properties of substances, to be detected and measured with high reliability. Networking of laboratory instruments and adapting them to customer-specific requirements as well as fully automatic analytical systems round off the company’s range of products. The company’s mission is to serve its customers’ needs through a local presence, provide them with technical consultation and to manufacture measuring instruments featuring the highest precision and level of reliability.