Worldwide Solutions - February 2008 - (Page 17) GERSTEL Solutions Worldwide Report new GERSTEL Headquarters, stating that it reflects the spirit of innovation that is present in the company. “We are proud to have been part of making this success possible”, said the General Manager of CTC Analytics. In his speech at the 40th anniversary dinner, Mr. Dawes praised the successful partnership between GERSTEL and SGE. Mr. Dawes drew parallels between the two family owned companies, and their success in getting and retaining high-quality employees, a key parameter for long-term success. Prof. Werner Engewald, member of the board of directors of the Society of German Chemists’ (GDCh) Section Analytical Chem- istry extended best wishes and warmest congratulations on behalf of the Section, wishing GERSTEL “a continuation of the impressive success story, which was again confirmed in 2007 by GERSTEL’s inclusion in the Top100 rank of Germany’s most innovative medium size companies”. Prof. Engewald further spoke of his first meetings with the company founder, which led to a wonderful friendship. Prof. Engewald expressed his pleasure in announcing the new “Eberhard-Gerstel-Prize for outstanding achievements among young scientists in the fields of Gas- and Liquid Chromatography”, details of which are to be revealed later. Eberhard G. Gerstel (left) and Holger Gerstel with their mother Thea Gerstel, the widow of company founder Eberhard Gerstel. Eberhard Gerstel (1927 – 2004) From a garage to No. 1 Eberhard-Gerstel-Platz Life starts at 40. For Eberhard Gerstel Sr., this statement held true, at least in terms of his business career. Less than two months after his 40th birthday, the master precision mechanics craftsman founded his company “Laboratory Precision Mechanics Gerstel”. The first home of the company was a remodelled garage in Mülheim an der Ruhr, Germany (1). Mr. Gerstel’s analytical solutions were well accepted and success brought welcome growth to the company. The limited space available could not accommodate such growth for long and the first of several moves had to be undertaken. The second address for GERSTEL was a former small supermarket in Mülheim (2). GERSTEL continued to expand and was changed to a Limited Liability Company (German: GmbH). The next expansion soon had to be planned, moving the company to a former cabinet-making workshop (3) where GERSTEL continued its path of steady growth. In 2 3 1 1989, a former printing plant became available. The premises were expanded significantly before GERSTEL moved in. It was thought that the space available in the Aktienstrasse (4) in Mülheim an der Ruhr would be sufficient for at least a generation, and plans to sublet parts of the building were initially considered, but were soon dropped. Already in 1997, production had to be moved to new facilities in nearby Duisburg to make room for new employees. In 2004, the Software Development and Technical Documentation departments were moved to a site nearby. Finally, less than two decades after moving into the Aktienstrasse facilities, the fourth move was completed in September of 2007. The company founder passed away on August 30th, 2004 and so, unfortunately, was not around to experience the inauguration of the new headquarters and the 40th anniversary of GERSTEL. He will be ever-present though, the company now resides at 1 Eber- hard-Gerstel-Platz in Mülheim an der Ruhr. The shiny new company headquarters offer plenty of space for the time being. The facilities were planned with a view to accommodating longterm growth. An additional floor and even an additional wing can be added to the building if and when the need arises. 4 GERSTEL Solutions Worldwide – February 2008 17
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