Video courtesy of Labworld.it
Description
On the occasion of Restek’s 40th anniversary, Carlo Ciocca, General Manager for the EMEA region, shares the vision, values, and innovations that have shaped the company’s identity, from its origins to becoming a global leader in chromatography. From the employee ownership philosophy to the launch of RMX, the new GC column built on proprietary TriMax technology, this interview offers an inside look at how Restek is tackling today’s most pressing analytical challenges, and what’s coming next for laboratories across Europe.
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Transcript
Good morning, I’m Carlo Ciocca, General Manager of Restek for the EMEA region. We have just celebrated Restek’s 40th anniversary, and I’d like to share my pride in being part of a company that was founded in 1985 in Pennsylvania and has become a global leader in the chromatography industry. Today, we have more than 500 employee-owners, spread across the United States and 7 other countries around the world, including Europe. Our goal has always been clear: to simplify the most complex analytical challenges for our customers. From columns and reference standards to sample preparation, Restek continues to innovate in both liquid and gas chromatography. In GC we are raising the bar for performance with important innovations such as RMX, the new capillary column that currently represents our best solution on the market.
Restek Employee Ownership and Customer Relationships in Europe
Employee participation, what we call employee ownership, is at the heart of our culture, it’s the heart of our company. For us in Europe, it means that every choice, both individual and team-based, is guided by responsibility and a common goal. When every employee feels directly involved in company dynamics at various levels, the approach is different. We focus on building lasting relationships, not just on short-term returns. Being an employee-owner is not only a personal responsibility, but also a responsibility towards colleagues and customers. This mentality creates trust, collaboration, and ultimately, all of this translates into better service and more innovative solutions for those who rely on us.
The main challenges and opportunities for chromatography in Europe
Europe is a dynamic market with high demands and complex regulations, especially in environmental analysis and food safety. The challenge is to offer efficient and affordable solutions with robust and reliable products. But every challenge leads to new opportunities. In fact, we see the growing demand for high-throughput solutions, and digitalization is revolutionizing laboratories. At Restek, we see this as an opportunity to innovate, not only in products, but also through technical and sales teams dedicated to supporting customers in addressing new regulations and an ever-evolving analytical landscape.
The innovation milestones that have defined the company’s identity
Innovation is in Restek’s DNA, and looking back at the most significant moments in the evolution of gas chromatography, I recall some key ones: In 1985, when we began manufacturing and marketing fused silica GC capillary columns. In 1993, when we introduced MXT metal columns, so robust they were chosen for NASA’s Cassini mission in 1998. In 2006, when we launched RXI, a new line of GC capillary columns featuring an innovative deactivation technology, which further improved column inertness and data quality. Up until today, when, to celebrate our forty years of innovation, we launched RMX, a GC column that doesn’t just continue our legacy, but sets a new standard in the gas chromatography market.
RMX: the new GC column
RMX is much more than a new column; it is the culmination of forty years of innovation. Since 1985, our commitment has been to simplify analytical challenges, and RMX brings this vision to those who make gas chromatography a key, everyday tool.
We designed it to address the most current and relevant issues, such as the ban on the use of methylene chloride, the need to consolidate analytical methods, and achieve ever-lower detection limits with longer column life. Thanks to our TriMax technology, RMX offers a unique three-dimensional array of bonding, crosslinking, and deactivation, that ensures exceptional inertness and reliability at trace levels. This means improved data quality on complex matrices, picogram-level sensitivity, and increased profitability thanks to reduced downtime and extended column life. Launching RMX on our 40th anniversary is symbolic. We honor our history while looking to the future with a column that combines experience with cutting-edge design.
What can customers expect from Restek in EMEA in the near future?
Continuous innovation and simplicity in working with us. We continue to strengthen technical support, training, and digital channels to help laboratories optimize workflows in a cost-effective solution. A major step is digitalization. We have launched the new e-commerce platform in Germany, with other countries soon to follow. This will make it even easier for customers to access our products and our resources. The future is about combining performance and accessibility, making Restek more connected than ever.
What message would you like to share with those who use chromatography?
Our goal is to create opportunities for chromatography professionals around the world, to truly experience what Restek stands for and interact with us in ways that go beyond traditional boundaries. Our history is the foundation that empowers us to provide reliability and drive innovation, every single day.
