Gerstel Celebrates 50 Years

Gerstel GmbH & Co. KG celebrated its 50th anniversary this year and to mark the occasion hosted a gala event open to its staff and partners from across the globe. A total of 350 guests took part in the gala celebrations, which were preceded by a two-day user seminar.

Founded by the late Eberhard Gerstel Senior, a craftsman and inventor, in October 1967, the company first found its home in a two-car garage in Mülheim an der Ruhr, Germany. In the following 50 years the company has grown into a leading provider of automated solutions for chemical analysis, particularly in the field of sample preparation.

The gala evening was hosted by German TV Star, Ralph Caspers, known for his entertaining and educational natural science knowledge shows, with the evening’s entertainment provided by the German group “The Physicants”, who performed an array of dazzling physics experiments on stage and conducted a version of “Happy Birthday” using colour-coded polymer tubing, which every guest received.

“We have been preparing for this wonderful occasion for a long time,” said Holger Gerstel, Managing Director and Co-Owner of Gerstel GmbH & Co.KG., “and are happy to say that it was a great success!”

The evening also featured an array of guest speakers including: the Lord Mayor of Mülheim an der Ruhr, Ulrich Scholten, who praised Gerstel as a model company for the area; Peter Tenbrink, Head of the Analytical Department at Eurofins Dr. Specht Laboratories in Hamburg, Germany, who offered the view of a long-term customer; Beat Lüthi, President and Co-Owner of CTC Analytics, and Patrick Kaltenbach, Senior Vice President, Agilent Technologies, USA., both important partners of Gerstel. Pat Sandra, founder of the Research Institute for Chromatography (RIC) in Belgium, discussed his relationship with company founder Eberhard Gerstel (1927–2004) who was instrumental in helping to commercialize his inventions. Finally, Thea Gerstel, wife of the company founder, was given flowers by her sons Holger R. Gerstel and Eberhard G. Gerstel, with all still involved in company’s activities. 

Commenting on the future, Eberhard G. Gerstel highlighted his belief in the company, and its future success and growth, stating, “I see a great future for Gerstel!”