Eppendorf Unveils New Chapter in China with Comprehensive Centrifuge Portfolio and Strategic Expansion

Since the beginning of 2024, Eppendorf has successively announced a series of major initiatives: commencing fully on January 1Sales of the full Himac product line, including the CC40NX ultracentrifugation continuous flow system, officially announced on March 18Full Takeover of Himac’s Distribution and Service Operations in China, Eppendorf's centrifuge business has ascended to a new level, becomingSupplier of a Full Range of Centrifuge Products, enabling us to provide customers with increasingly comprehensive product solutions and services.

The Complete Eppendorf Centrifuge Family

On this occasion, we interviewed three members of Eppendorf Group’s senior management from Germany, China, and Japan, namely:Ms. Marlene Jentzsch, Senior Vice President of the Global Separation & Instrumentation Division at Eppendorf Group; Mr. Wang Chun, Senior Vice President of Eppendorf Group and Managing Director for Greater China; and Mr. Kenichi Nemoto, Representative Director of Eppendorf Himac Technologies Co., Ltd., jointly exploring the development path of this renowned life sciences enterprise in China and outlining a blueprint for the future growth of both the company and the industry. Let’s take a look at the unique insights shared by the three executives.

Q: Eppendorf benchtop centrifuges have a significant global impact and are widely used. With the addition of low-speed and ultracentrifuge product lines, what is the current status of Eppendorf’s full centrifuge portfolio in terms of global business deployment and development?

Ms. Marlene Jentzsch: As a global leader in the life sciences industry, we are committed to continuous innovation in research and development, enhancing laboratory workflows for our customers, and expanding our portfolio of products and services to provide professional support to more scientists. A significant milestone was the acquisition of Koki Holdings’ centrifuge business and its premium brand, Himac, in Japan in July 2020. This acquisition will further broaden our solutions to better meet customer needs.

Ms. Marlene Jentzsch, Senior Vice President of the Global Separation & Instrumentation Division at Eppendorf Group

By expanding its product portfolio, Eppendorf has become a one-stop solution provider for high-performance, premium-quality centrifuges. This enables Eppendorf to reach new customer segments and creates opportunities for further growth.

Q: What is the strategic significance of the Chinese market for Eppendorf? Were there any strategic adjustments for the Chinese market and its customers in 2024? What breakthroughs are expected? How will Eppendorf structure its entire centrifuge product line in China over the next 3–5 years to further consolidate its position as a globally leading manufacturer of high-end centrifuges?

Mr. Wang Chun: Over the past two decades, China’s economic boom has created significant opportunities for the vigorous development of the life sciences sector. Eppendorf Group entered the Chinese market in 2003, recognizing its critical strategic importance as one of the key regions for the company’s business growth. We serve not only as a vital partner to numerous emerging industries—including scientific research, pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, and medical diagnostics—but also cater to traditional sectors such as food and agriculture. Through our high-quality products and services, we have earned strong recognition and trust from clients across diverse industries and fields, achieving robust, sustainable, and healthy growth in China.

Mr. Wang Chun, Senior Vice President of the Eppendorf Group and Managing Director for Greater China

As the core product of Eppendorf’s Separation & Instrumentation division, centrifuges have always been a top priority in our strategy and business development. China is one of the largest centrifuge markets globally and holds immense growth potential. Over the next 3–5 years, the layout and development of our entire centrifuge product line in the Chinese market will be pursued along two dimensions:

First, we will consolidate our existing business and pursue in-depth vertical development.

We continuously adjust and optimize our local strategy to gain a competitive edge in the fiercely competitive market, which is crucial for our long-term success in China. We are pleased to announce that Eppendorf’s production base in the Pinghu Economic Development Zone, Zhejiang Province, will commence operations this year. While ensuring that the quality and reliability of locally produced products align with global standards, this initiative will bring the company closer to the Chinese market, effectively shorten the supply chain and product delivery times, and further enhance our ability to rapidly respond to and meet the needs of local customers.

Second, we will explore new frontiers and expand our market presence horizontally.

The full-scale sales of the Himac product line in China have marked a strong start for Eppendorf China to explore and expand into new business areas. In the future, it will provide customers in cutting-edge application fields—including life sciences, nanomaterials, biopharmaceuticals, medical diagnostics, food, and environmental sectors—with competitive, high-quality centrifuge products and services. This will also help Eppendorf further increase its market share in these sectors and reinforce its position as a globally leading manufacturer of premium centrifuges.

Q: This year marks the launch of the CC40NX, an ultracentrifugal continuous-flow system designed for large-scale industrial production. What are its market strategy and development objectives in China? How will the addition of the Himac product line impact the Chinese market? What superior technologies and services from Eppendorf will be made accessible to Chinese customers?

Mr. Wang Chun: The CC40NX continuous-flow ultracentrifugation system is an ultracentrifuge designed for large-scale industrial production in the biopharmaceutical sector, specifically engineered for the automated purification or concentration of viral particles or nanoparticles at scale. Its standard configuration includes a Steam-in-Place (SIP) module that complies with GMP requirements. When integrated with other ultracentrifugation solutions, it meets the large-scale production needs of industrial customers in fields such as vaccines and cell and gene therapy. This system injects fresh momentum into Eppendorf China’s business development, representing key areas of focus and in-depth growth for Eppendorf in the future.

By integrating Himac’s advanced technologies with Eppendorf’s existing high-quality benchtop centrifuge products, we have further enhanced Eppendorf’s market competitiveness in China. We have also formulated a series of strategic initiatives and action plans, primarily reflected in the following areas:

1. Conduct in-depth analysis and research on niche market positioning to provide customized product solutions

With the addition of the Himac product line, Eppendorf has successfully completed its strategic layout in China, encompassing a full portfolio that includes benchtop centrifuges, high-speed floor-standing centrifuges, ultracentrifuges, and ultracentrifugal continuous flow systems. By studying different customer segments and application scenarios, Eppendorf provides more precise basis and support for product positioning and marketing strategies. In the future, Eppendorf China will also work closely with local industry experts, leveraging its own and the Japanese manufacturer’s extensive technical experience accumulated over many years, to provide customized centrifugation solutions that meet the differentiated needs of customers across various application fields.

2. Provide professional technical support and a more comprehensive service system

As part of the Eppendorf Group, the Himac product line will strictly adhere to Eppendorf’s global unified technical specifications, production standards, and service offerings. Our application specialists possess extensive industry experience, and our after-sales service team has a nationwide presence across China, consistently dedicated to providing customers with rapid, professional, and reliable support. This commitment helps extend equipment lifespan and reduce maintenance costs. Eppendorf China will further increase its investment in training and talent development for its technical support, sales, and after-sales teams, thereby delivering more specialized technical assistance, product solutions, and high-quality after-sales service to customers.

All of these initiatives will help Eppendorf customers accelerate experimental efficiency and workflows, enabling more efficient research and production while enhancing user experience and satisfaction.

Q: China holds immense development potential in niche markets within application areas such as vaccines, cell and gene therapy. How does Eppendorf empower the R&D and production of customers in these innovative fields domestically? In the face of increasing competition from both domestic and international manufacturers entering the market, how will Eppendorf enrich its product pipeline to achieve differentiated competitive advantages?

Mr. Kenichi Nemoto: To further expand our competitive advantage, we will continue to stay as close to our customers as possible, jointly study development trends, and seek collaboration opportunities in the life sciences market and its subsectors, such as vaccines and cell and gene therapy. Particularly in the Chinese market, we see significant growth potential in these areas. Therefore, we will continue to make substantial investments in product iteration and innovation to meet customer needs.

Mr. Kenichi Nemoto, Representative Director of Eppendorf Himac Technologies Co., Ltd.

The introduction of the CC40NX, an ultracentrifugal continuous-flow system designed for large-scale industrial production, aims to better support and meet the R&D and manufacturing needs of customers in these innovative fields. As a distinctive product in the Himac lineup, the CC40NX has been developed and manufactured by the original Japanese factory for approximately 40 years. Its hallmark feature is the ability to load samples into a rotor spinning at an ultrahigh speed of 40,000 rpm in a continuous-flow mode. This system is widely used for the separation and purification of various vaccines, including influenza vaccines.

Moving forward, Eppendorf will also collaborate with its Japanese manufacturer to share the knowledge and expertise in continuous flow centrifugation technology and applications accumulated over many years with a broad customer base, thereby creating genuine value for customers.

Q: China’s Drug Administration Law, Vaccine Administration Law, and other regulations impose strict requirements on the authenticity, accuracy, completeness, and traceability of key records and data generated during drug research and development, manufacturing, and related activities. As a global supplier of high-end centrifuges, how will Eppendorf help pharmaceutical companies achieve end-to-end tracking and recording of data to ensure the quality and safety of pharmaceutical products?

Mr. Wang Chun: Eppendorf is consistently committed to developing cutting-edge technologies and staying abreast of regulatory developments to meet the stringent compliance requirements of pharmaceutical clients. Centered on the ALCOA++ principles for data integrity, we continuously advance the implementation of data integrity in the development of our centrifuge products.

Currently, our product lineup—ranging from multifunctional high-capacity refrigerated tabletop centrifuges to high-speed floor-standing centrifuges and ultracentrifuge series—is equipped with multiple intelligent operational features, including user management permissions, operation records, log export, and remote monitoring.HighEfficient Centrifugation, Precise Temperature Control, Intelligent Operation, Compliance SupportCarry it through to the end.

The Eppendorf centrifuge series, designed for large-scale production, can be equipped with monitoring software compliant with 21 CFR Part 11. This adds features such as electronic signatures and audit trails, enabling data traceability throughout the entire sample processing workflow and ensuring data integrity in the lifecycle management of processed samples.

Q: As the original Japanese manufacturer, what strategic adjustments have been made to the Himac product line? What are your expectations and outlook for future development? What solutions can you bring to the industry’s growth?

Mr. Kenichi Nemoto: Himac began researching, developing, and manufacturing ultracentrifuges in 1955. As a company specializing in the manufacture and sales of centrifuges, it became a member of the Eppendorf Group in 2020. Himac offers an extensive product portfolio ranging from ultra-high-speed to high-speed series, with its centrifuge products and rotors featuring unique characteristics.

Moving forward, Eppendorf will concentrate its resources to expand its business in the high-speed, high-capacity product segment.

We are confident that our products will not only meet the expectations of customers in the research and development sector but also those in vaccine manufacturing, thereby continuing to contribute to the advancement of life sciences.