Specialty chemicals from gram quantities to tons: custom synthesis, kilo lab, sourcing, decanting and hazardous goods logistics from Karlsruhe.
abcr GmbH
Karlsruhe (Headquarters) · Forcarei (Production, abcr labs) · Zug · Lyon · Waterford · MacclesfieldNew on Amplifa
About abcr – Good Chemistry Since 1987
abcr GmbH, headquartered in Karlsruhe, is an internationally active full-service provider of specialty chemicals with a portfolio of more than 400,000 products – from gram quantities to tons. The company was founded in 1987 by Dr. Norbert Braunagel and is today led by Dr. Jan Schuricht as a family-managed group under the umbrella of abcr group GmbH. Core services include custom syntheses (abcr service lab, 600 m² of laboratory space), scale-up and production of specialty chemicals at kilogram scale (abcr Kilo Lab, 110 m²) as well as in-house production at abcr labs in Forcarei, Spain (6,000 m², since 2010). The product range covers silicon compounds and silanes, organofluorine compounds, lithium compounds for batteries and fuel cells, ceramic powders, borides, carbides, nitrides, fullerenes, graphene, nanomaterials and sputtering targets. These are complemented by R&D services such as synthesis development, feasibility studies and contract research (FTE), analytics, bulk & sourcing with more than 8,000 suppliers, decanting down to the thousandth of a gram, and hazardous goods logistics (IATA, ADR, IMO) on 3,200 m² of warehouse space. Subsidiaries exist in Switzerland, France, Ireland and the United Kingdom; exclusive partners include Höganäs, KYOCERA Fineceramics Precision, Evonik and Vertellus.
- Site
- Karlsruhe
- Processes
- Customized individual syntheses (custom synthesis), Synthesis development and synthesis optimization, Feasibility studies and contract research (FTE), Kilo Lab – production of specialty chemicals at kilogram scale (scale-up), Chemical repacking / decanting (filling), Analytics and characterization (NMR, GC-MS, ICP-OES, Karl Fischer, CHN, SEM-EDX, IR,, Logistics and warehousing of specialty chemicals (incl. hazardous goods, cooling), Bulk & sourcing (procurement of chemicals from micrograms to tons)
- Materials
- Organofunctional silanes, Tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS), Silicon compounds / siloxanes, Organofluorine compounds, Lithium compounds, Lithium tetrafluoroborate, Lithium bis(oxalato)borate, Ceramic powders
- Certificates
- DIN EN ISO 9001:2015, DIN EN ISO 14001, ISO 9001, ISO 14001
- Founded
- 1987
- Industries
- Pharmaceuticals, Medical technology, In-vitro diagnostics, Materials science, Life science, OLED/electronics industry
- 01
Consulting and synthesis development (R&D, feasibility, FTE)
- 02
Custom synthesis in the abcr service lab (gram range)
- 03
Scale-up and production in the Kilo Lab (kilogram scale)
- 04
Industrial production at abcr labs, Spain
- 05
Sourcing and supplier audits (bulk & sourcing)
- 06
Decanting/repacking and custom packaging
- 07
Analytics, quality assurance and batch management
- 08
Warehousing and worldwide hazardous goods logistics (IATA, ADR, IMO, Zoll Atlas)
Materials & Chemical Classes
Organofunctional silanes / silicon compounds
Core portfolio for surface functionalization (CVD, ALD, sol-gel) as well as custom synthesis of several thousand silane types.
Tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS)
Main component for sol-gel coatings with high scratch resistance.
Organofluorine compounds
Synthesis of fluorinating compounds for pharmaceuticals, electronics and surface technology.
Lithium compounds (e.g. lithium tetrafluoroborate, lithium bis(oxalato)borate)
Electrolyte components for lithium-ion batteries and fuel cells.
Ceramic powders, boron/borides, carbides, nitrides
Materials science powders for advanced ceramics and technical applications.
Fullerenes, graphene, nanomaterials, sputtering targets
Functional materials for electronics, OLED and materials science.
Locations
Karlsruhe
DEHeadquarters, sales, service lab and Kilo Lab, warehouse/logistics
- Part weight / size
- Micrograms to tons (decanting/storage)
- Lot size
- Grams to tons
- Materials
- Specialty chemicals, silanes, lithium compounds, nanomaterials
- 23 fume hoods (synthesis laboratory, 600 m²)
- Glovebox
- Glass synthesis reactors 20/30 l (-60 to +200 °C, inert-gas capable)
- Pressure reactor 5 l up to 60 bar (-10 to 250 °C)
- Large rotary evaporator 20 l
- Spray dryer
- High-temperature furnace up to 1200 °C
- Semi-automatic decanting/filling system
- NMR, GC-MS, HPLC, IR, ICP-OES, Karl Fischer, CHN, SEM-EDX
Forcarei
ESProduction (ABCR Laboratorios, S.L. / abcr labs)
- Part weight / size
- Kilograms to tons
- Lot size
- Kilo scale to bulk
- Materials
- Silanes/specialties, fine chemicals, specialty materials
- Custom syntheses
- Product and process development
- Scale-up and commercialization (6,000 m², since 2010)
Zug
CHSubsidiary abcr swiss AG (sales)
Lyon
FRSubsidiary abcr france SAS (sales)
Waterford
IESubsidiary abcr IRL Ltd. (sales)
Macclesfield
GBSubsidiary abcr UK Ltd. (sales)
Inside the production
Industries
Processes & technical limits
| Processes | Tolerance | Max. part | Weight | Lot size | Materials |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Customized individual syntheses (custom synthesis)Engineering | – | – | – | Gram range – Kilogram range (Kilo Lab) | Organic compounds, Fluorinating compounds, Spiro compounds, Chiral compounds (enantiomers), Siloxanes, Silanes |
| Synthesis development and synthesis optimizationEngineering | – | – | – | – | – |
| Feasibility studies and contract research (FTE)Engineering | – | – | – | – | – |
| Kilo Lab – production of specialty chemicals at kilogram scale (scale-up)Engineering | – | – | – | Kilogram range | Specialty chemicals |
| Chemical repacking / decanting (filling)Engineering | – | – | Micrograms – Tons | – | Liquids, Gases, Powders, Granules |
| Analytics and characterization (NMR, GC-MS, ICP-OES, Karl Fischer, CHN, SEM-EDX, IR,Testing | – | – | – | – | – |
| Logistics and warehousing of specialty chemicals (incl. hazardous goods, cooling)Engineering | – | – | Micrograms – Tons | – | – |
| Bulk & sourcing (procurement of chemicals from micrograms to tons)Engineering | – | – | – | – | – |
| Surface modification / functionalization with organofunctional silanes (CVD, ALD, sol-gel,Surface | – | – | – | – | Glass, Metals, Metal oxides, Pigments |
8 Anlagen & Maschinen
| Machine | Manufacturer / model | Quantity | Working area | Year built | Site |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fume hood (table fume hood) | – | 23 | – | – | abcr service lab, Baden-Württemberg |
| Glovebox | – | 1 | – | – | abcr service lab |
| Glass synthesis reactor (multipurpose, inert-gas capable) | – | 2 | 20 & 30 liters; -60°C to +200°C | – | abcr Kilo Lab |
| Pressure reactor | – | 1 | 5 liters; -10 to 250°C; up to 60 bar | – | abcr Kilo Lab |
| Large rotary evaporator | – | 1 | 20 liters | – | abcr Kilo Lab |
| Spray dryer (laboratory standard) | – | – | – | – | abcr service lab |
| High-temperature furnace | – | 1 | up to 1200 °C | – | abcr service lab |
| Semi-automatic decanting/filling system | – | 1 | – | – | Karlsruhe |
Additional services
Reference customers
Quality & Certification
Quality assurance is certified to DIN EN ISO 9001:2015 (since 1998) and includes supplier audits, batch management, retention samples, customer-specific analytics (NMR, GC-MS, ICP-OES, Karl Fischer, SEM-EDX and more) as well as the modular service program abcr care. The logistics warehouse uses data matrix coding for seamless traceability and the four-eyes principle; abcr labs in Spain is certified to DIN EN ISO 14001.
| Evidence | Karlsruhe | Forcarei |
|---|---|---|
| ISO 9001 | ||
| ISO 14001 |
Company History
- 1987
Foundation of abcr GmbH & Co KG by Dr. Norbert Braunagel
- 1994
Framework supply agreements with renowned chemical and pharmaceutical companies
- 1997
abcr goes online – first web shop for specialty chemicals
- 1998
Certification to DIN EN ISO 9001
- 1999
Foundation of the UK subsidiary ABCR UK Ltd.; sales partnerships with Japan and China
- 2001
Trademark registration abcr®; 15 employees
- 2002
Move into the company's own building
- 2010
Foundation of the production company abcr labs in Spain