High-Tech in the service of quality and safety Throughout the world the demands pla ­ Well­known companies from all industrial Metrohm Applikon and Metrohm Autolab are part of the ced by consumers on the quality and sectors prefer our instruments and can Metrohm Group. Metrohm Applikon manufactures instruments sa f e ty of products are continually increasrely worldwide on local after­sales service for online process analysis; Metrohm Autolab produces instruments ing. In order to meet these demands, ins and support. Our customers come from for electrochemical research applications. truments and methods are necessary that the che mical, petrochemical and pharmaallow to detect even the smallest tra ces of ceutical industries, as well as from the substances. automotive and food sectors. The metal and electronics industries, water and envi­ Metrohm is a worldwide leading manufacronmental analysis and also research and turer of precision instruments for che mi cal training are further fields in which our analysis. In the field of electrochemical ion ana lytical instruments provide highly accuanalysis we have been the unchallenged rate results. world number one for many years. But we offer much more than just instruments. In our laboratories we develop tai lor­made applications that help our custo mers to safeguard the quality of their pro ducts, to comply with regulations and to optimize processes. mission Independence is the key to free decision-making The history of our company starts in 1943. We have been just as logical in developing That was when the engineer Bertold and manufacturing our products all by Suhner started constructing technical ap ourselves. The know­how and the techparatus in Herisau, Switzerland. Bertold nology required to do this are quite sub­ Suhner was a brilliant inventor. Among stantial. But it’s well worth it. We are other things he constructed radios, oscilregarded as one of the most innovative loscopes and teraohmmeters, i.e. instrucompanies in our branch. Our customers ments with which extremely high electrican rely on the high quality of our products. cal resistances can be measured. And our employ ees benefit from attractive and long­term secure employment. Bertold Suhner‘s philosophy still guides us today. Independence plays the central role in this philosophy. We have always grown from our own strength and have never surrendered our independence to banks or the stock market. This gives us the freedom to make long­term plans and decisions – in the interest of our customers, our employ ees and our region. In order to ensure our company’s future autonomy, Metrohm AG has been 100 percent owned by the Metrohm foundation since 1982. Part of the profits are used for promoting social, cultural and educational projects in our own canton, Appenzell Ausserrhoden and, in exceptional cases, also in neighboring cantons. philosophy Ideas grow where the climate is right Whoever comes to us, stays with us: A survey conducted in 2013 A company is only as good as its emplo y ees. 10 percent of our staff are apprentices; by ValueQuest among our employees revealed results for Anyone who understands this will do his many of them stay on with us after job satisfaction and motivation clearly above average levels utmost to ensure his employees‘ well­being. trai n ing, or return to us with several years of professional experience or after comachieved by comparable corporations. At Metrohm the conditions are optimal plet ing their higher education with an for this. Flat hierarchies and short distances academic degree. We try to ensure a encourage an open atmosphere. We place bal anced age structure and we know the our confidence in the highly motivated proper value of the skills and experience people, who work for us and offer them of our old er emplo y ees. nu merous, even international op por tu nities for development. Our modern, flexi ble working conditions take the re quire ments of young families into account. employees The complete spectrum of electrochemical analysis – and more Metrohm instruments make work easier wherever electrochemical analyses are involved. Complicated analyses can be carried out quickly with maximum precision thanks to our instruments, and can also be fully automated if necessary. Modular design enables straightforward configuration of customized systems. Our portfolio at a glance: • pH meters, ion meters, conductometers • Potentiometric, thermometric and Karl Fischer titration • Dosing of liquids – liquid handling • Polarography, voltammetry and CVS • Ion chromatography • Stability measurement of fats, oils and biofuels • Process analysis • Capillary electrophoresis • Near­infrared spectroscopy • Raman spectroscopy • Automation in titration, voltammetry, ion chromatography and process control • TOC analyzers • Laboratory software • Electrochemical sensors • Separation columns for ion chromatography • Accessories Metrohm is the only company in the world that combines titration, ion chromatography and polarography, the three most important ion analytical methods. Also unique: For each of those methods, Metrohm offers instruments for laboratory as well as online and atline applications. product portfolio The future is what you make of it «The superior usability of our laboratory software is due to the fact that our chemists took part in the design right from the start. We couldn’t have developed a comparable product with an external service provider.» Dieter Strohm CTO Metrohm Group We develop all our instruments, software, The knowledge used here is complex. and accessories ourselves. This is because Alongside chemists, highly qualified elecwe are convinced that only if we keep our tronics engineers, software developers, know­how inhouse will we be capable to and designers work together in close colproduce innovations in the future and laboration on our project teams. Some retain our competitive edge. people say that Metrohm consists of 300 PhDs. Actually, this is exaggerated – at A couple of figures illustrate the high prileast by a little. ority that we give to the development of new instruments and applications. One third of the about 400 employees at our headquarters in Herisau work in R&D. And our development department runs up to 40 projects in parallel. research & development We set standards We have always been known for innovations that make a difference in the laboratories of our customers. One example from titration is the 855 Robotic Titrosampler. At the time when it was introduced, it was the first instrument integrating a titrator and an autosampler in a single, space saving unit. Metrohm Inline «In 1985 we ventured into completely Sample Preparation (MISP) is another new territory with our first ion chro-good example. In tegrating automated matograph. Meanwhile we are setting sample preparation into our ion chroma­ the standards in ion chromatography to graphs saves time and costs while in ­ too. Since 1995 we have been the only creasing reliability of the results produ ced. company offering a chemical suppres-sor with a 10-year warranty.» The list of our innovations can easily be continued. Here are the most important in Dr. Markus Läubli chronological sequence: Manager Marketing Support IC 1949 First recording pH meter 1950 First combined pH electrode 1955 First piston buret 1962 First automatic polarograph 1968 First digital titrator 1973 First electronic Dosimat 1977 First 16­bit microprocessor titrator 1981 First 16­bit microprocessor polarograph 1989 First microprocessor compact titrator 1992 First Dosino 1995 First Compact IC 2004 Launch of tiamo TM, the world’s numer one titration software 2005 First sample changer with integrated titrator 2006 First intelligent pH sensors («iTrodes») If there is a single secret behind Metrohm’s success then it is 2007 First intelligent ion chromatograph with integrated Inline Sample Preparation our ability to produce pioneering innovations. Our name stands 2012 First fully integrated glass sensor for photometric titrations (Optrode) for technical solutions that are often more than one step ahead of those of our competitors. milestones Outsourcing? For us only the second-best solution Since our foundation more than 70 years How can we afford to do this and why do Many years of experience lie behind the grinding technique used in ago, we have been manufacturing excluwe do it? As a matter of course, we take the production of diaphragms for our glass electrodes. The result: sively at our headquarters in Herisau. In advantage of automation and optimal Measurements whose precision is unique throughout the world. times in which whole industries are shiftprocess design. However, other criteria ing production to supposedly cheaper lo are decisive. Product quality is paramount, cations abroad, we are still producing and keeping production here in Herisau here with a unique manufacturing depth: allows us to control it right down to the We turn and mill all the components for most tiny little bolt. Add to this the fact our instruments ourselves. We manufacthat we are largely independent of suppliture our own print ed circuit boards for the ers. And finally the lead in knowledge that control electronics, the columns for our we have over our competitors in many ion chromatographs, and the glass memfields – and naturally want to retain. branes for our electrodes. We even have our own state­of­the­art printing facility where the technical documentation for our instruments is printed. Of course, the entire assembly operation is also located in Herisau. production 1600 applications for every need Metrohm instruments and applications • Automobile manufacture can be found in almost every industry. In • Coatings and electroplating industry the electronics industry, for instance, our • Biochemistry and biology CVS systems are used for the monitoring • Biofuels of copper bath constituents that largely determine the quality of the plating pro­ • Building materials cess in PCB production. Another example • Fertilizers, minerals and explosives is environmental analysis. In this field, one • Energy and power plants of the major issues is to ensure drinking • Paints, lacquers and solvents water quality. With our instruments it is • Photography and the optical industries pos sible to determine, for example, con­ • Semiconductor and electronics tents of toxic heavy metals down to the industries lower ppt level. Dimensions become clea rer • Plastics if one considers that one ppt is the equi­ valent of a little cube of sugar dissolved in • Metal production and processing a reservoir containing 2.7 billion liters of • Food and beverages water. • Organic chemistry • Paper and cellulose From decades of experience, we have • Petrochemistry gained the expertise to provide an appli­ • Pharmaceutical industry cation for virtually any analytical problem. We regularly make this expertise avail able • Trace analysis to our customers and to the scientific • Textiles, leather and ceramics community via databases, in monographs, • Toxicology papers, and in application bulletins. We • Environmental analysis are also a respected partner for the ela bo­ • Water ration of international testing regulations • Detergents and cosmetics and are always pleased to give our advice. The pharmaceutical industry is subject to particularly rigorous regulations. Metrohm instruments are designed to help customers meet even the toughest hygiene and quality standards. branches We don‘t make the cheaper instruments but the better ones In a competition driven solely by price, Ultimately, it is our employees who make Miniaturizing electronic circuits is a particular strength of ours. quality will inevitably suffer. Therefore, we the crucial difference. Res ponsibility for We have our own cleanrooms where we produce such circuits don’t even get involved in this type of quality is not delegated at Metrohm, but using thick-film hybrid technology. competition. However, our products and is regarded the personal responsibility of services are the first choice for all those, each individual throughout each producwho demand uncompromising quality at tion step. This culture of care and selfa reasonable price. responsibility pays for itself. An ever in creasing number of customers rely on It starts with the fact that we have not Swiss quality from Herisau and many have outsourced our production, but keep it at been loyal to our brand for decades. our headquarters in Herisau. On top of this comes our manufacturing depth. Our customers can rely on the fact that virtually 100 percent of the components of a Metrohm instrument have been developed and man u factured in Herisau. quality Our most valuable asset is the confidence of our customers We offer our customers the best in ser­ Practical know­how of our instruments vice. Actually, this goes without saying, and applications is passed on at the because we only market our equipment Metrohm Academy in Herisau and in our directly, and we therefore know every own training centers that we maintain customer personally. throughout the world. We are always ready to listen to the questions and wish­ We guarantee fast, professional maintees of our customers and use our applicanance and repair service through our tion know­how to help them meet their Support Centers and Sales Agencies. Our particular analytical challenges at any decentralized warehouses ensure that time. Calibration of instruments as well as spare parts are available worldwide within validation and cer tification of applications the shortest possible time. We also guarcom plete our service portfolio. antee that all parts will continue to be available for at least ten years after the instrument itself is taken from the market. For many years now our whole service doc u mentation has been digitally available via the Internet to our field service technicians on site – and also in the customers’ labs. Long-term spare parts availability without any ifs and buts: If we learn that a supplier is about to stop production of a component we use, then we immediately order our whole requirements for a service period of ten years and store these components in our own high-bay warehouse in Herisau. service Quality from Metrohm is in demand – worldwide We do not just attempt to be as independ­ «When in Rome, do as the Romans do.» ent as possible in the development and Good advice, particularly in sales. We folproduction of our instruments – we also low the consequences of this proverb keep sales and distribution in our own with our own particular logic – and use hands. Metrohm is exclusively represented local employees in our subsidiaries right in more than 80 countries, in more than from the start. They know their markets 40 of which we have our own subsidiarand are perfectly familiar with the culture ies. This guarantees a close network for of their country. sales and service. A total of 1900 employees are working for us outside Switzerland and achieve more than 90 percent of our turnover there. markets www.metrohm.com üng oni K , Photos: T SW ­03 CH-9101 Herisau/Switzerland info@metrohm.com Layout: Ecknauer+Schoch A 8.000.5119EN – 2014 www.metrohm.com