Three R&D Centers Opened in the United States
R&D Center at SSI Head Office in Maryland
Shimadzu Scientific Instruments, Inc. (SSI), which is headquartered in Columbia, Maryland, and is responsible for coordinating Shimadzu’s analytical and measuring instruments businesses in the United States, has established three R&D centers in the United States for mainly targeting pharmaceutical and clinical markets. One is located at the SSI head office in Maryland, one is on the East Coast (in the suburbs of Boston, Massachusetts), and the third is on the West Coast (in the suburbs of San Francisco, California).
Developing Global Products that Lead the Next Generation
Takaaki Hiraoka, General Manager, SSI R&D Center
At the new center, we will mainly focus efforts on searching for needs in pharmaceutical and clinical markets and developing new products based on those needs. Takaaki Hiraoka, General Manager of the R&D Center, indicated that “North America is the most important region for the healthcare business.”
“The North American market is a region where investment in advanced technologies and products is strong. In particular, the technological level of the pharmaceuticals market is quite high even from a global perspective. Therefore, market needs here generally represent challenges that are also unresolved throughout the world. Generating technologies and products for solving such challenges earlier than others will provide the possibility for deploying those technologies and products throughout the world in the future.”
Boston, the city where the new East Coast laboratory is located, is the home of many academic and biopharmaceutical-related R&D departments, whereas the San Francisco suburbs on the West Coast have a concentration of global pharmaceutical companies and biotech-related startup companies. The purpose of establishing R&D centers in those areas is to position Shimadzu closer to customers so that we can more accurately determine customer needs.
In addition, the Maryland head office will accelerate development by cultivating closer cooperation with the Analytical & Measuring Instruments Division of Shimadzu Head Office in Japan and by developing systems and evaluating prototypes locally. Currently, there are about 20 employees working at the R&D center.
Comment from the Local Employee
Jeff Dahl, Applications Group
Each day I think about how to provide the type of data needed by customers and I develop new ways to use Shimadzu instruments to analyze samples and process data.
With the rapid advancements in technology in recent years, there are many low-cost and high-performance tools available, such as 3D-printing systems, printed circuit board manufacturing equipment, and CNC (computer numerical control) machines that can be used to perform repetitive tasks or complex machining. Therefore, at the R&D center we intend to utilize such tools effectively. I am also excited about cultivating an even closer partnership with the R&D departments at the Shimadzu Head Office in Japan. I look forward to developing a deeper relationship of mutual support and trust and to working as a unified team.
Hopefully, that will generate a more detailed understanding of customer needs and result in developing the next generation of leading analytical instruments.
SSI Head Office
For about 50 years, SSI has been focused on selling and servicing analytical and measuring instruments for pharmaceutical, clinical, energy, and forensic fields. In 2015, SSI established an innovation center for conducting joint research with customers to offer solutions for societal challenges in healthcare, food, environmental, and other fields.
Establishing Forums for Collaboration and Innovation in North America
Ribbon-Cutting at the Opening Ceremony
Shimadzu President Yasunori Yamamoto is shown third and SSI President Yoshiaki Maeda fourth from the right.
The opening ceremony was held on April 10, at the Maryland head office. The ceremony was attended by Shimadzu President and CEO, Yasunori Yamamoto. In his speech, he thanked the guests and expressed his anticipation for the center to function as a forum for generating innovation in collaboration with customers. SSI President Maeda said it has renewed his determination to contribute to society in the United States through science and technology by generating innovative technologies and products.
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