Development and manufacturing of systems for automated sample preparation and sample introduction in instrumental analysis
GERSTEL GmbH & Co. KG
Mülheim an der Ruhr (DE) · Vienna (AT)New on Amplifa
About GERSTEL
GERSTEL GmbH & Co. KG develops and manufactures at its Mülheim an der Ruhr site systems for automated sample preparation and sample introduction for gas chromatography (GC/GC-MS) and liquid chromatography (LC/LC-MS). The product portfolio includes the modular autosampler family MultiPurposeSampler (MPS Robotic, Robotic Pro, Dual Head), thermal desorption systems (TDU 2, TD 3.5+, TDS 3) with cryofocusing down to -180 °C, modules for solid-phase extraction, liquid-liquid extraction, evaporation, mixing and temperature control, systems for GC-olfactometry (ODP 4) as well as the dynamic headspace technique DHS+. In addition, software solutions such as MAESTRO, Sequence by Barcode, ChroMOH, ChromIdent, ODI and AromaOffice are developed. Customer-specific trays are manufactured as tailor-made solutions at the production site in Mülheim. The company supports its systems with installation, system qualification (IQ/OQ/PQ), training at its own training center, and maintenance and repair in the in-house workshop. Customers include laboratories in food and beverage analysis, environmental analysis, pharmaceutical and clinical analysis, as well as the fragrance and consumer goods industries. Since 2025, GERSTEL has been part of Velaris, an alliance of laboratory automation companies.
- Site
- Mülheim an der Ruhr
- Processes
- Automated sample preparation for GC, GC/MS, LC, LC/MS, Liquid Handling (automated liquid transfer), Liquid-liquid extraction (automated), Solid-phase extraction SPE (including dispersive SPE, QuEChERS, DPX), Online SPE for HPLC (SPExos), Thermal desorption (TD) for VOC/SVOC trace analysis, GC-olfactometry (aroma, fragrance and off-odor analysis), Gas chromatography (GC)
- Materials
- MultiPurposeSampler MPS Robotic, Thermal Desorption (TDU 2, TD 3.5+, TDS 3), Cold Introduction System / Cryofocusing, Solid-Phase Extraction (SPE 2, SPExos), Dynamic Headspace DHS+, GC-Olfactometry (ODP 4, ODI), Automated Evaporation, Software (MAESTRO, ChroMOH, ChromIdent, ODI, AromaOffice)
- Founded
- 1967
- Industries
- Food and beverage analysis, Environmental analysis, Perfume/fragrance industry, Personal care and consumer goods, Packaging, Pharmaceutical/clinical analysis
- 01
Development and design
- 02
Manufacturing (including customer-specific trays, tailor-made, Mülheim)
- 03
Software development (MAESTRO and others)
- 04
Qualification and testing (demo laboratory)
- 05
Installation and system qualification IQ/OQ/PQ
- 06
Training, maintenance and repair
Products and Processes
MultiPurposeSampler MPS Robotic
Modular autosampler and sample preparation robot for GC/GC-MS and LC/LC-MS with liquid, headspace, large-volume and SPME sample introduction.
Thermal Desorption (TDU 2, TD 3.5+, TDS 3)
Solvent-free technique for the determination of volatile and semi-volatile organic compounds (VOC/SVOC) in trace analysis.
Cold Introduction System / Cryofocusing
Cryofocusing down to -180 °C with True-Trap technology for discrimination-free enrichment of analytes prior to the GC column.
Solid-Phase Extraction (SPE 2, SPExos)
Automated enrichment and cleanup of analytes, including dispersive SPE (QuEChERS, DPX) and online SPE for HPLC.
Dynamic Headspace DHS+
Fully automatic, matrix-independent enrichment of volatile compounds for VOC analysis.
GC-Olfactometry (ODP 4, ODI)
System solution for determining aromas, fragrances and off-odors by combining gas chromatography and olfactory detection.
Automated Evaporation
Parallel vacuum evaporation of up to 6 samples based on the rotary evaporator principle as an integrated sample preparation step.
Software (MAESTRO, ChroMOH, ChromIdent, ODI, AromaOffice)
Control and evaluation software for automated workflows, MOSH/MOAH analysis, pyrolysis-GC/MS identification and GC-O data evaluation.
Locations
Mülheim an der Ruhr
DEHeadquarters with production, repair workshop and training center
- Materials
- Customer-specific trays (tailor-made)
- MultiPurposeSampler MPS Robotic (family)
- Thermal desorption systems TDU 2, TD 3.5+, TDS 3
- GC-olfactometry ODP 4
- mVAP evaporation module
- SPE modules
- Cooling options UPC Plus, CCD 2, LN2/LCO2
- Universal sample introduction platform
Vienna
ATTechnical office for sales and service in Austria
Industries
Processes & technical limits
| Processes | Tolerance | Max. part | Weight | Lot size | Materials |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Automated sample preparation for GC, GC/MS, LC, LC/MSTesting | – | – | – | – | – |
| Liquid Handling (automated liquid transfer)Testing | – | – | – | – | – |
| Liquid-liquid extraction (automated)Testing | – | – | – | – | – |
| Solid-phase extraction SPE (including dispersive SPE, QuEChERS, DPX)Testing | – | – | – | – | – |
| Online SPE for HPLC (SPExos)Testing | – | – | – | – | – |
| Thermal desorption (TD) for VOC/SVOC trace analysisTesting | – | – | – | – | – |
| GC-olfactometry (aroma, fragrance and off-odor analysis)Testing | – | – | – | – | – |
| Gas chromatography (GC)Testing | – | – | – | – | – |
| High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)Testing | – | – | – | – | – |
| Dynamic headspace DHS+ (VOC analysis, fully automatic)Testing | – | – | – | – | – |
| Stir Bar Sorptive Extraction SBSE (Twister, AutoTwister)Testing | – | – | – | – | – |
| Vacuum In Tube Extraction V-ITEX (vacuum extraction for GC-MS)Testing | – | – | – | – | – |
| On-Line Conditioning Station OCS (conditioning of TD tubes, Twisters, samples)Testing | – | – | – | – | – |
| Automated evaporation (mVAP, rotary evaporator principle, vacuum)Testing | – | – | – | – | – |
| Automated mixing/shaking (QuickMix, agitators)Testing | – | – | – | – | – |
| Automated weight control (weighing option MPS)Testing | – | – | – | – | – |
| Automated sample introduction (liquid, headspace, large-volume, SPME techniques)Testing | – | – | – | – | – |
| Cryofocusing/cold introduction system KAS (down to -180 °C, True Trap)Testing | – | – | – | – | – |
| MOSH/MOAH analysis with GC-FID (ChroMOH software)Testing | – | – | – | – | – |
| Pyrolysis-GC/MS analysis (ChromIdent database)Testing | – | – | – | – | – |
| System qualification IQ/OQ/PQ, installation, training, maintenance, repair of analytical systemsEngineering | – | – | – | – | – |
15 Anlagen & Maschinen
| Machine | Manufacturer / model | Quantity | Working area | Year built | Site |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Autosampler/sample preparation robot MultiPurposeSampler MPS Robotic | GERSTEL MPS Robotic | – | Rail and tower, 3D movement; rails of different lengths | – | Mülheim an der Ruhr |
| Autosampler/sample preparation robot with automatic syringe change | GERSTEL MPS Robotic Pro | – | Rail and tower, Bottom-Sense technology | – | Mülheim an der Ruhr |
| Dual-head autosampler with two towers | GERSTEL MPS Robotic Dual Head | – | Rail with two towers | – | Mülheim an der Ruhr |
| Thermal desorber | GERSTEL TDU 2 | – | – | – | Mülheim an der Ruhr |
| Thermal desorber | GERSTEL TD 3.5+ | – | – | – | Mülheim an der Ruhr |
| Thermal desorption system | GERSTEL TDS 3 | – | – | – | Mülheim an der Ruhr |
| Olfactory Detection Port (GC-olfactometry) | GERSTEL ODP 4 | – | – | – | Mülheim an der Ruhr |
| Evaporation module (vacuum, up to 6 samples in parallel, for 2/4/10 mL vials) | GERSTEL mVAP | – | – | – | Mülheim an der Ruhr |
| Solid-phase extraction module (standard cartridges, 3 sizes) | GERSTEL SPE 2 | – | – | – | Mülheim an der Ruhr |
| Solvent supply (up to 4 solvents of 1 liter each) | GERSTEL SFS 3 | – | – | – | Mülheim an der Ruhr |
| Vertical shaker module for 2-phase mixtures | GERSTEL QuickMix | – | – | – | Mülheim an der Ruhr |
| Heated orbital shaker (Agitator/AgitatorStirrer, up to 6 samples) | GERSTEL Agitator / AgitatorStirrer | – | – | – | Mülheim an der Ruhr |
| Peltier cooling (down to +10 °C) | GERSTEL UPC Plus | – | – | – | Mülheim an der Ruhr |
| Circulation cooling (down to -30 °C, 2 modules) | GERSTEL CCD 2 | – | – | – | Mülheim an der Ruhr |
| Universal sample introduction platform for GC-MS (10 injection techniques) | GERSTEL Universal Basic / Universal Advanced | – | – | – | Mülheim an der Ruhr |
Additional services
History
- 1967
Founding of the company; start of development, design and customer service for analytical applications.
- 2025
GERSTEL becomes part of Velaris, an alliance of laboratory automation companies (including Skalar, LCTech, PromoChrom, EST Analytical, Trace Elemental Instruments, MARKES).