Biotech firm Artel expands into Germany
Biotechnology company Artel has seen strong growth for its liquid handling quality assurance products worldwide and hopes its new sales and distribution office in Freiburg, Germany, will generate more revenue.
The company, which is headquartered in Westbrook, decided it was time to bring its products closer to its customers in Germany, Switzerland and Austria. Germany is a leader in Europe's life science and biotechnology research and development industry, and there are many pharmaceutical companies based in Germany as well as Switzerland, says Barry Godowski, Artel's vice president of sales.
Though the company works with many distributors in several European and Asian countries, it had difficulty lining up a good partner in Germany, and so has opted to open its own office. It will be the company's first sales office outside of the United State and Canada, Godowski says.
The company employs 55 people at its Westbrook manufacturing facility and exports products to countries around the globe, including France, Sweden, Japan and South Korea. Artel's products are used by major firms including Merck, Pfizer and Proctor & Gamble.
Godowski says the new European sales and distribution office in Germany will undoubtedly yield more revenue for the company and that could translate into more jobs in Westbrook, but he would not project how much more revenue or how many more jobs could be created.
"We've had good sales growth over the last few years," he says.
In a company press release announcing the new German office, Artel President Kirby Pilcher says the timing of the expansion couldn't be better. The European Commission in 2008 launched its Framework 7 program, which calls for European Union member nations to increase life science R&D spending from the current 2% of their GDP to 3% in 2010.
Artel has also hired Stefan Schork, the former vice president of sales for Germany-based biotech firm IonGate Biosciences, to head up the new German office.
In addition to its new Germany sales office, Godowski says Artel will host the ISO International Lab Equipment Standards Meeting in 2011. Scientists and businesses from England, Germany, India and China will visit the Westbrook facility to see how the liquid handling products are made. Hosting the meeting is another way Artel can broaden its global reach and increase demand for its product, he says.
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