Interview with GL Sciences Inc.
“Proper weighing is the basis of advanced analysis. Every morning A&D balances are highly sought after.”
Chromatography is widely used for environmental analyses of water, air, soil, etc.1 For examples that touch our lives, chromatography is actively used to verify pesticide residue in foods, harmful substances in buildings and furniture, standard values in medicines and ingredient concentration in functional foods.
Under the slogan “The Only Way Forward Is Together” GL Science is making strides as a comprehensive science company focused on chromatography. We talked with GL’s customer support center in the general technology division about the use of A&D analytical balances for calibration of analytical instruments.
General Technology Division – Takao Tamura, Customer Support Center Manager and Executive Officer
Customer Support Center LC Section – Mari Kobayashi
Every morning employees race to get A&D balances (laughs).
First, tell us about the work done at the Customer Support Center.
Tamura: We develop, manufacture and sell various products related to chromatography, a method widely used for chemical analysis. Our customer support center gives technical advice for our customers’ analysis needs and offers useful products to respond to their requests.
Kobayashi: Additionally, I visit customers and give simple seminars on analysis. The Customer Support Center performs around 100 seminars a year.
100 seminars! That’s incredible! Do the customers have wide ranging requests?
Tamura: The content and level required by the customer varies case by case so a preliminary meeting is necessary.
How are A&D balances used in chromatography?
Tamura: Balances are used in the preparation stage of analysis. High-precision balances are indispensable tools for weighing to prepare2 solvents or standard samples of specified concentrations for the liquid chromatograph.
Kobayashi: Standard samples can be called a measure of quantitative analysis. If there is any error during this stage it will be difficult to perform reliable analyses even with an extremely powerful analytical device. Accurate weighing is the most important factor during analysis preparation and requires paying close attention.
Tamura: It’s not an exaggeration to say that there isn’t a day that we don’t use A&D balances (laughs).
Kobayashi: Every morning our employees race to get the balances. There is also quite the rush before the lab shuts down to prepare samples for analysis for the next day (laughs).
Support system built on regular technical seminars and useful options
Tamura: We are also in the business of manufacturing and selling analysis devices but currently our flagship products are cylindrical glass vessels called columns. These columns are filled with a silica gel. Components are separated by using the affinity3 between the sample and filler and the different sizes of the molecules.
Kobayashi: These columns are all manufactured by our company, and I hear that A&D’s balances are also both developed and manufactured in Japan. All in all, I think domestically-made products provide customers with a great sense of ease.
Tamura: We greatly appreciate the long term support that comes with A&D balances. Notably, spare parts are also available on short notice. This is important for our company as we frequently inspect our analytical instruments to keep them good as new.
Kobayashi: The technical seminars regularly held at A&D’s Technical Center have also been quite beneficial. It can be difficult to find the right time to ask for help understanding correct balance usage and sources of error so what we are taught while using actual equipment at these seminars is very useful for day to day work.
What accessories do you use?
Kobayashi: We have just started using the new sample cup holder set. It is very useful when using containers without flat bottoms such as test tubes and round-bottomed flasks. I am very supportive of accessories like this that resolve small but important issues.
Columns (image)
Electronic micropipettes and charging hanger
Technological collaboration to provide high value-added products to laboratories
Kobayashi: Actually, I have only been using A&D balances since college and have never used balances from other companies (laughs). A&D balances were easy for a student like me to use and understand back then and gave me peace of mind.
Tamura: Meanwhile, we have been selling A&D’s electronic micro pipettes under the GL Sciences brand and they are very popular in our customer’s laboratories. Options like the charging hanger make the pipettes very easy to use.
Kobayashi: We installed them to the sample rack to free up space on the counter for experiments, making sample preparation even easier.
Tamura: I believe we can continue to provide our customers with high value-added products resulting from the combination of A&D’s measuring technology and our analysis technology.
We would like to thank GL Sciences for taking the time to do this interview.
(Interviewer: A&D Company, Limited Sales Promotion Division)
*1 Chromatography: Advanced technology that uses separation to identify the composition and amount of the various components present in a substance. Chromatography influences the global environment and society in a wide range of industries including research, high-tech technology (biotechnology / new materials / electronics), quality control in manufacturing and environmental analysis.
*2 Preparation: Ensuring a sample is made according to rules and requirements. Term used for substances such as solutions and mixtures.
*3 Affinity: Nature and tendency of a substance to easily bond with another substance
Cooperation
GL Sciences Inc.
Head office location: 6-22-1 Nishishinjuku, Shinjuku-ku Tokyo Shinjuku Square Tower, 30th floor
Established: Feb 1, 1968
President: Yoshihiro Nagami
Capital: 1,207,795,000 yen
Employees: 398 (As of Apr 1, 2015)
Trivia: GL gets its name from Gas and Liquid variants of chromatography and can also stand for “Great Laboratory”.
