From Laboratory to Knowledge Center

Transcription

1 From Laboratory to Knowledge Center The first 25 years of WESSLING Hungary Kft. `17

2 Just the way our new headquarters were built over the past two years, the development of our laboratory over a quarter of a century has been relentless: an enormous building grew from the ground, and a laboratory of only a few people turned into a market-leading company of nearly 300 employees, with an annual turnover of 4 billion HUF. WESSLING Hungary Kft. has already been performing its task in the fields of environmental protection, food safety and health protection with its accredited analyses and consulting for 25 years. How did the laboratory become a knowledge center? We wish you a good time travel! `17 3

3 1. FOUNDATION STONES On March 23, 2016, a ceremony was held to commemorate the laying of the foundation stone of the new knowledge center of WESSLING. The enterprise, known today as the WESSLING network and operating all over Europe, was founded by Dr. Erwin Weßling in 1983, in Altenberge, Germany. IN 1992, THE PREDECESSOR OF WESSLING HUNGARY KFT., CALLED THE DR. ERWIN WEßLING CHEMICAL TESTING LABORATORY, IS FOUNDED BY DR. LÁSZLÓ ZANATHY, ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF EÖTVÖS LORÁND UNIVERSITY. The first tasks: the industry of the last one hundred years left serious marks on the environment, properties and factories changed hands after the regime change, surveys and environmental site assessments became essential. At this time, a clear legal framework is still missing, there are no limit values available: our work is characterized by an enthusiastic The event was attended by and speeches were given by Chief Veterinary Officer Dr. Lajos Bognár, deputy state secretary responsible for food chain supervision, Gabriel A. Brennauer, managing director of the German-Hungarian Chamber of Industry and commerce, Dr. Erwin Weβling, founder of the international WESSLING network named after him, Diana Wessling, representing the company s owners, and István Nagy, deputy mayor of Újpest. environmental protection attitude and great professional ambitions. Our first major instruments (a gas chromatograph, an ICP and a GC-MS) are bought, we often leave the laboratory behind and perform many on-site analyses, and our first analytical methods are developed. Our first important partnerships are established, including some major companies and engineering bureaus, most of whom we are still very proud to call our partners to this very day. 4 `17 5

4 2. FIRST FLOOR This period is characterized by dynamic growth in all areas: there are more and more incoming samples, we start bigger and bigger projects, and both our analytical portfolio and instrumentation undergo a serious development. We understand: accurate and high quality work requires state-of-the-art and precise analytical instruments. In addition to our existing instruments, this is the time when the first HPLC is bought. Quality management is developed and accreditation is obtained, first for the field of environmental analysis, in There are only 20 to 30 people, everyone knows each other, and the company is characterized by a family atmosphere. At the end of this period, we start to think that venturing to new areas, in addition to Work has begun, and the staff of the general contracting company, Aktuál Bau Kft., started to raise a new wing next to the existing building, by moving and incorporating unbelievable amounts of material. environmental protection, could be a good idea 6 `17 7

5 STEPPING UP TO ANOTHER LEVEL WESSLING is one of the dominant players of the domestic market, our service range is expanding continuously, and an increasing number of leading professionals joins our company: by 2002, our team consists of 33 people. With the appropriate laws, the Hungarian environmental protection system is already working well, and we became an active part of it. Together with environmental protection, the three major areas of activity are developed: after conscious planning, our food safety business unit is established and then, reacting to market demands, we begin pharmaceutical analyses. We can count more and more major manufacturers and distributors among our customers. The list goes on: in 2001, we purchase FoodMicro Kft., and so we start to perform a large number of microbiological tests, in 2002, a laboratory information system called LISA is launched, increasing the reliability and credibility of the company. In 2003, together with Eötvös Loránd University and Kromat Kft., the Joint Research and Training Surrounded by the Újpest housing estates and single story houses, our new Knowledge Center is presenting a more and more pronounced image. Only the second floor has been completed, but in the neighborhood everybody is already talking about the new building Laboratory on Separation Techniques, also known as EKOL is launched. Our first HPLC-MS instrument is bought. 8 `17 9

6 HIGHER AND HIGHER! One could think that the end is clearly visible, but there is still so much work to do: after the completion of the construction come interior work, landscaping, painting, gardening WESSLING is booming! All of the activities of the company, known since 2006 as WESSLING Hungary Kft., are in an upswing, all of our performance indicators show an increase! We are the clear market leaders among independent laboratories and, in addition to our environmental protection, food safety and pharmaceutical testing services, we now provide additional help to our customers by interpreting test results through our consulting services. In the field of environmental protection, we participate in major remediation projects, our building diagnostics services are launched, as well as asbestos analyses, and the QualcoDuna proficiency testing scheme is taken over from VITUKI. Starting from 2005, the most important conference on food safety, called Hungalimentaria, is organized by us. Through Biomi Kft., a new member of our corporate group, we now carry out DNA and GMO testing, honey and palinka analyses are launched, as well as our research projects. We conquer Africa: in the Congo, a container lab is established, and onsite measurements are performed in an international project. Most of our areas are accredited by NAT, and with DAP accreditation, we appear on the international market. Important results are achieved in our university and research laboratories (EKOL): simultaneous detection of several hundred pesticides, determination of the active ingredients of various drugs in surface waters, the effects of plastic packaging materials on foodstuffs. In 2007, the previously unthinkable 1 billion HUF turnover is reached. 10 `17 11

7 NOT AT THE TOP YET! It is true that the shapes that are somewhere robust, somewhere soar towards the heavens are complete, as are the facade and the exterior of the new building, but at this stage the Knowledge Center is not yet complete. WESSLING Hungary Kft. has become a professional corporation: besides our existing services, we also perform the analysis of packaging materials, cosmetics and household chemicals, carry out label verification, and are accredited for the testing of dietary supplements, wastes, yield enhancers and Legionella. State-of-the-art techniques are established: with machines that can substitute for each other, and high capacity instrumentation. Our 2016 turnover is close to 4 billion HUF, and the number of employees is almost 300. We participate in a European Union environmental program of key importance, we are members of the most important domestic professional organizations, and are regular coorganizers of an international food safety conference held in Budapest, called CCMAS. We take a big step forward in social responsibility: we save and publish, in a renewed from, a prestigious scientific magazine, the Journal of Food Investigations, launch a scientific website titled Laboratorium.hu, promote chemistry among students with our annual Lab Adventure online competition and interactive educational day, analyze the Sugar-Free Cake of Hungary free of charge, and support the PET Cup with free tests as well. The old building is bursting with all this knowledge: it becomes clear that we have to move! 12 `17 13

8 6. THE KNOWLEDGE CENTER IS COMPLETE! 17 WESSLING Hungary Kft. is 25 years old! The 25th anniversary celebration is held at our new location, at the WESSLING Knowledge Center: The new building of the laboratory is raised in the heart of Újpest as a two and a half billion HUF project. This significant investment in Hungary shows the serious commitment of the German-owned international network to improving the quality of life. Important civic service is performed not only by the services of the WESSLING Knowledge Center, but also by its extensive scientific and information activities: with our wide range of scientific and R&D activities, we try to play as important a role as possible in sustainable development and social responsibility, Now we are really ready. The building is beautiful, the facilities are super-modern and friendly The WESSLING Knowledge Center has been handed over, ready to be used, and it has been registered by the relevant authorities. Everything is now in place for high quality work. We just have to carry it out! With our educational programs and joint projects with universities, the conditions necessary for research and state-of-the-art instruments are provided to dozens of undergraduate and Ph.D. students In our conference room, events that are important for both the profession, education and the general public are organized monthly, endeavoring to share the knowledge and experience of the past 25 years, just like we try to do so through our scientific extensive scientific information. 14 `17 15

9 THE NEXT 25 YEARS `17 `18 `19 `20 `21 `22 `23 `24 `25 `26 `27 `28 `29 `30 `31 `32 `33 `34 `35 `36 `37 `38 `39 `40 `41 `42 `43 WESSLING Hungary Kft. would like to play a very important role not only in Hungary, but also in the entire region: through our subsidiaries in Russia, Serbia and Romania, the process has already started, the goal of which is still the same as it was in the beginning: to serve the quality of life. To maintain our market leading position among independent laboratories in Hungary by continuously expanding our services. In addition to the analyses, we offer complex solutions to our partners with our consulting services and legal assistance

10 OUR SERVICES FOOD SAFETY PALINKA TRADEMARK TRANS FATTY ACIDS HONEY NUTRITIONAL SUPPLEMENTS PESTICIDES VITAMINS ALLERGENS METALS MYCOTOXINS PHARMACEUTICAL ANALYSIS QUALITY CONTROL TESTS BATCH RELEASE ACTIVITY ANALYTICAL TESTING ANALYTICAL TESTING FOOD AND FEED MICROBIOLOGICAL TESTING ACCREDITED SAMPLING GMO NONPROFIT ACTIVITIES PACKAGING MATERIALS HOUSEHOLD CHEMICALS NON-FOOD COSMETICS DISINFEC- TANTS MANAGEMENT AND CONSULTING LABELING AUDIT QUALITY - SAFETY RESEARCH EDUCATION INFORMATION UNIVERSITY LABORA- TORY ADULT TRAINING HIGH SCHOOL EDUCATION SCIENTIFIC JOURNAL PUBLIC INTEREST WEBPAGE PROFICIENCY TESTING QUALCODUNA ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION ACCREDITED SAMPLING BIOCHAR, REFERTIL ASBESTOS SRF WATER ANALYSIS SOIL ANALYSIS AIR ANALYSIS SURFACE AND GROUNDWATER DRINKING WATER WASTEWATER WASTE ANALYSIS CONSULTING FACILITY SURVEY HAZARDOUS MATERIALS SURVEY PHOTOS: CSABA LOVÁSZ, SHUTTERSTOCK I TEXT: GÁBOR SZUNYOGH I DESIGN: ADWORKS KFT

11 With its considerable knowledge, WESSLING offers you a wide range of services and complex solutions in the fields of consulting, testing and planning. Our goal is to continuously improve quality, safety, health and the environment, that is to say, the quality of our lives. The 1,000 employees of the family business, internationally renowned since 1983, offer their services at more than thirty locations in Europe and China, within easy reach of your company. WESSLING Hungary Kft. H-1045 Budapest, Anonymus u. 6. Phone: Fax: