July 1, 2014 (Vol. 34, No. 13)

Gail Dutton

Its Bioprocessing Ranks Filled and Expanded, the Parent Company Maneuvers Globally

New Brunswick Scientific, a developer of bioprocessing equipment for fermentation and cell culture growth and storage, has been a part of Eppendorf AG since 2007. Only recently, however, has New Brunswick become fully integrated into Eppendorf. At the end of 2013, New Brunswick’s global marketing functions merged into Eppendorf, and a new Enfield, Connecticut-based entity called Eppendorf, Inc. was created. R&D and manufacturing of New Brunswick bioprocessing equipment is now being performed within Eppendorf Manufacturing, also in Enfield.

New Brunswick customers today purchase its shakers, fermentors, bioreactors, CO2 incubators, and ultra-low temperature freezers through the global Eppendorf-branded organization, in a broader geography and with greater technical service than previously possible. Integrated Eppendorf sales and technical support teams are on the ground in 27 countries throughout North and South America, Europe, the Asia Pacific region, and the Middle East.

Mike Sattan, president and CEO of the new Enfield-based unit, says another benefit of this integration is the strong R&D network and emphasis on premium and comprehensive product solutions. “That culture permeates the organization here,” he adds.

Eppendorf’s global staff of more than 2,800—most of whom are in sales and marketing—enables direct discussions with customers around the globe. Ideas and suggestions, therefore, more easily reach innovators and decision makers, where they may be translated into new products and features. The company’s goal is to be an expert partner in its client’s laboratories globally.

“As part of the integration, the product portfolio is undergoing some changes,” Sattan explains. In addition to updating and rebranding products under the Eppendorf corporate identity, the company also is developing new products, features, and innovations. For example, Eppendorf has been developing a broad line of BioBLU® single-use, rigid-wall vessels for cell culture and fermentation. BioBLU combines New Brunswick’s expertise in medium- to large-scale bioreactor controllers with Eppendorf’s strong experience in polymers and smaller-scale, parallel bioreactors under the DASGIP and DASbox brands.

“We’ve also expanded our R&D capabilities, with a staff of cell culture scientists focusing on induced pluripotent stem cells, CHO cells, and HEK cells within bioprocessing to produce application reports for our customers,” Sattan notes. In October 2013, the state of Connecticut approved Eppendorf to perform Biosafety Level 2 (BL2) infectious disease-related research.

Expanded R&D means an expanded budget. “Here in Enfield, together with Eppendorf Manufacturing, we’re working on next-generation products and innovations for shakers and bioreactors,” reveals Sattan, who prefers to keep any additional details close to his chest. “There’s nothing more I can say now.”

Eppendorf is responsible for global marketing, support, and training for its product range—as well as administration and logistics for North America—and coordinates with the parent company, Eppendorf AG, in Hamburg. The 2013 annual report states, “Among the pillars of our business strategy are the consolidation of our global market position through…the expansion of our training and service portfolio.” Therefore, customers can receive “comprehensive support wherever they work.”


The BioBLU portfolio has grown to accommodate users from early research and development through manufacturing. The CelliGen BLU, shown here, is meant to combine the convenience of single-use technology with the performance, process management, and scalability of a stirred-tank design.

Bioprocessing Portfolio

With the integration of New Brunswick complete, Sattan says Eppendorf is forging one of the broadest bioprocess product ranges in the industry, including those from DASGIP, which it acquired in 2012. “We’re working on harmonizing those processing instruments into a single Eppendorf bioprocessing portfolio,” emphasizes Sattan. “Our goal is to make Eppendorf a leading global player in bioprocessing equipment under the Eppendorf name.”

This integration of New Brunswick and DASGIP products under the Eppendorf name provides a robust portfolio of scalable bioprocess hardware, software, and single-use solutions, from R&D through production stages for bioprocessing clients in labs in academic and corporate research centers throughout the world.

Eppendorf’s complete product range now can handle volumes from 35 mL to 2,400 L. Single-use vessels range from 65 mL to 40 L volumes. Consequently, products can advance from research through scale-up to production within a single family of bioreactors, making it easier to maintain consistency.

Company History

Eppendorf is part of the Eppendorf Group, headquartered and founded in Hamburg, Germany, in 1945. The company created the first electric fever thermometer, the Eppendorf photometer, the first piston-stroke pipette, and the Eppendorf tube. This microliter tube, invented 50 years ago and now known as the Eppi, is part of a complete system that includes mixers and centrifuges. It enables small quantities of sample to be stored and analyzed easily in labs throughout the world.

More than one billion Eppis have been manufactured. Such success has left Eppendorf anything but complacent. In 2013, the company launched the Eppendorf Tube 5.0 mL and the Tube Rack 5.0 mL, winning the red dot design award—an international product design award by Design Zentrum Nordrhein Westfalen—in Life Science and Medicine.

Eppendorf

Location: 175 Freshwater Blvd., Enfield, CT 06082
Phone: (516) 334-7500
Website: www.eppendorf.com
Principal: Mike Sattan, President and CEO
Number of Employees: 150
Focus: Eppendorf, with the integration of New Brunswick Scientific, is focused on providing shakers, CO2 incubators, ultra-low temperature freezers, fermentors, and bioreactors. Distribution, through the parent corporation and a network of sales and service organizations, is global.

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