LABORATORY EQUIPMENT MANUFACTURER KNAUER INVESTS AND STRENGTHENS ITSELF FOR INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION
Berlin, February 20, 2025: The management of the Berlin-based manufacturer of high-tech laboratory instruments reports on current plans to ensure sustainable business success.
KNAUER is investing millions in the expansion and conversion of the production building on Hegauer Weg in Berlin-Zehlendorf in 2025. A new logistics center is being built on the first floor to meet the increased production figures and requirements for speed and automation. Routes will be shortened, incoming and outgoing goods will be handled via a new airlock, processes will be simplified and storage locations optimized. The centerpiece will be a new automated storage tower built on the outside over four floors, in which the goods will be stored in a space-saving manner. The new tower will significantly speed up the availability of materials on the various floors for production, testing and logistics. Construction work on the tower began last year and it will be commissioned at the end of March.
KNAUER Management: Carsten Losch and Alexandra Knauer (Photo: Rainer Keuenhof)
" A major challenge with these conversions is that they have to be carried out during ongoing operations. That's why a fast pace of implementation is essential. However, our increase in productive efficiency will be worth the effort," says Managing Director Alexandra Knauer confidently.
Efficiency is an important competitive factor, innovative and attractively priced products are another crucial point. KNAUER is launching a new fraction collector developed in Berlin - a device that precisely collects the separated substances into small vessels in liquid chromatography systems. Another device innovation from KNAUER is a so-called oligonucleotide synthesizer, a system which can produce nucleotide chains of a desired sequence. Oligonucleotides have numerous applications in molecular biology and medicine, for example as “primers” for the important DNA amplification with the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) or for genetic tests.
KNAUER can be seen as a pioneer when it comes to sustainability. The topic is also playing an increasingly important role in purchasing decisions for laboratory products. The continuous work of many years is bearing fruit; the results are impressive.
At the end of 2024, the 200 employees were delighted to achieve a very good result in the increasingly important global sustainability rating “ecovadis” (already 150,000 companies rated). With 69 out of 100 points, KNAUER belongs to the “SILVER” category and is in the top 11% of the companies surveyed. In July, KNAUER also received the ACT-Label certification from My Green Lab for the two best-selling KNAUER HPLC systems. Remarkably, KNAUER achieved the best overall result of all 4,000 life science products to date.
Competent, creative and motivated employees are a decisive success factor for any company, regardless of the business field. KNAUER is successful and pays an annual bonus to its employees for their loyalty and commitment. This year, salaries were increased for everyone in January and the gross bonus of EUR 4,400 set for this year will be paid out in two installments. The bonus payment is independent of the salary level, but is reduced for part-time employees, for example. Last year, the number of weekly working hours was reduced from 40 to 38.
At KNAUER, suggestions and ideas from employees are often implemented. The evaluation committee for idea management called NIK (New Ideas for KNAUER) recently approved the purchase of a professional wellness massage chair. A location was quickly found for this and the employees who have already tried out the massage are delighted.
Cohesion and good cooperation are not only important within the company - they are also a prerequisite for good social functioning. One example worth emulating was the KNAUER Social Day under the motto “Promoting social engagement for democracy”: employees who volunteered as election workers in the early 2025 Bundestag elections were given a special day off as compensation for the busy election Sunday.
Last but not least, the KNAUER team is proud to present the new company website www.knauer.net. It has been restructured, cleaned up and offers a modern, user-friendly experience. Prospective buyers can quickly access the KNAUER online store, applicants can easily find out about career opportunities, and appointments with experts can be booked directly. Content changes and optimizations can also be implemented directly in-house by the responsible KNAUER employees.
KNAUER Wissenschaftliche Geräte GmbH has been developing and manufacturing high-tech laboratory instruments in Berlin Zehlendorf for more than 60 years. The sales network extends to over 70 countries. Alexandra Knauer, who has owned the company since 2000, and Managing Director Carsten Losch attach great importance to corporate responsibility towards the 200 employees as well as towards the environment and society. More information about KNAUER at: www.knauer.net
KNAUER Wissenschaftliche Geräte GmbH, Hegauer Weg 38, 14163 Berlin, Germany
+49 30 809727-0, +49 30 8015010 (Fax), info@knauer.net, www.knauer.net
Press contact: Oliver Gültzow, gueltzow@knauer.net, +49 30 809727-43