On June 11, 2018, Shimadzu Analytical Technology R&D (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. held a grand opening ceremony for its new location. Senior executives of Shimadzu Corporation and experts and scholars in mass spectrometry attended the ceremony.

The head of technical research/director of basic research at Shimadzu Institute, Mitsuo Kitaoka, the CEO of Shimadzu Analytical Technology Research and Development (Shanghai) Co., Ltd., Wenjian Sun, the Chairman and CEO of Shimadzu Enterprise Management (China) Co., Ltd., Jiazhao Ma, and Professor Chuanfan Ding from Fudan University in Shanghai delivered speeches respectively.

SRLS 10th Anniversary: "Created in China"

In recent years, more and more multinational companies in the scientific instrument industry have recognized the importance of establishing research and development institutions in China and developing technologies and solutions that meet the needs of the Chinese market. Only in this way can we truly enhance our competitiveness and market responsiveness. Multinational corporations engage in a one-stop operation of research and development, production, and sales in China, gradually shifting from "Made in China" to "Created in China". And this development trend will also drive and promote the overall improvement of domestic research and development level and the transformation of technology research and development environment.

Among them, Shimadzu Corporation took the lead. As early as March 2007, as Shimadzu's second directly affiliated basic technology research institute overseas, Shimadzu's wholly-owned research and development subsidiary, Shimadzu Analytical Technology Research and Development (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as SRLS), was established. For Shimadzu, many years ago, China had already become the second largest market after Japan. One important reason for Shimadzu to establish SRLS is to grasp the diversity of the Chinese market, establish research and development centers in China, and ultimately design analytical products that are more in line with the Chinese market. SRLS is aimed at product research and development, with mass spectrometry technology as the main research direction, focusing on developing products and technologies for the next 5 to 10 years. The R&D achievements of SRLS not only meet the market needs of Shimadzu in China, but also serve Shimadzu's R&D and production networks around the world.

The current Chinese economy has shifted from rapid growth to a stable and upward development model, while also paying more attention to people's livelihoods. Food safety, drug safety, environmental protection, and other issues have become the focus of attention for the whole society. The improvement of regulations and quality has brought numerous opportunities to the analytical instrument industry, and users have a stronger demand for higher accuracy, sensitivity, flux, as well as portable and miniaturized instrument products. These types of products have many differences from markets such as Japan, and such changes and opportunities are both great opportunities and challenges for Shimadzu.

SRLS Future: Focusing on Mass Spectrometry, Not Limited to Mass Spectrometry

In the past five years, Shimadzu Corporation has maintained good growth in performance, with mass spectrometry product technology driving the growth. Shimadzu's mass spectrometry technology research and development has also formed a three-tier system dominated by the Japanese headquarters Basic Research Institute, SRLS in Shanghai, China, and SRL in Manchester, UK. In particular, SRLS and SRL have made remarkable achievements in exploring and challenging practical mass spectrometry technology development

The growth and development of SRLS have received strong support from local scientific and technological talents, as well as horizontal technology output from external research institutions. In such an environment, SRLS has developed a series of new technologies tailored to market demand over the past 10 years. Representative achievements include direct ionization technology under atmospheric pressure, DCBI ion source, portable ion trap mass spectrometry, focusing device, and unique ion migration spectroscopy technology. Among them, some technologies are providing new solutions and innovative features for Shimadzu commercial mass spectrometry.

In addition, new technologies related to mass spectrometry miniaturization and rapid detection have been developed or are currently developing principle prototypes, which will bring novel and practical solutions to users in related fields such as food safety rapid screening, environmental VOCs detection, and future clinical testing through Shimadzu China and its commercial partners.

SRLS will strengthen cooperation with Chinese researchers

Both Mitsuo Kitaoka and Sun Wenjian emphasized in their speeches that, in addition to internal research and development innovation, an important part of SRLS work is to strengthen cooperation with domestic researchers and research institutions, introduce and transform advanced original concepts, take technological development as the guide, and create product technologies that exceed user expectations and are disruptive.

Ten years ago, when Shimadzu was about to establish SRLS, Professor Ding Chuanfan, along with Shimadzu's Xiong Dai and Ding Li, traveled around Shanghai in all directions to find an office address for SRLS. Shimazu was a partner of Professor Ding Chuanfan after joining Fudan University in Shanghai. Over the years, his cooperation and friendship with Shimazu and SRLS have become one of his precious treasures. Professor Ding Chuanfan said in his speech that the dedication, meticulous work attitude, and close teamwork spirit of Shimadzu and SRLS are worth learning from.

It is understood that in addition to providing research and development services to Shimadzu, SRLS also engages in various collaborations with external parties through technical cooperation or commissioned research and development. During a previous interview with Sun Wenjian in the Instrument Information Room, he mentioned that SRLS' core technologies such as digital ion traps and high-frequency high-voltage switches have attracted the attention of many universities, research institutions, and domestic instrument manufacturers since a few years ago. As a result, they have been commissioned by institutions such as the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tsinghua University, and Beijing Institute of Technology to develop a complete set of RF power solutions. In addition, the portable VOC detection digital ion trap mass spectrometer developed by SRLS on behalf of a domestic mass spectrometer manufacturer has been successfully commercialized and will soon accept orders.

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