Jürgen Semmler appointed MD of Shimadzu Europa

Shimadzu have just appointed Jürgen Semmler as Managing Director of its European subsidiaries. Mr Semmler was until July 1st in charge of Shimadzu Deutschland, he succeeds Jürgen Kwass, who is retiring, having been at the helm of Shimadzu Europa since 2003. Both managing directors have worked for Shimadzu since the 80’s.

Jürgen Semmler studied at Essen University and is a graduate in chemical engineering. He joined Shimadzu in 1987, starting off as an HPLC service engineer, he gained invaluable experience of collaborating and coordinating international efforts as part of a pan-European team to develop global software. In 1996 he was appointed as manager of Shimadzu’s European Customer Support Center, before becoming MD of the newly launched Shimadzu Deutschland a decade later. When Mr. Semmler took over Shimadzu Deutschland the company employed 60 members of staff and generated sales of approximately €19 million, today they employ 150 people and sales exceed €40 million. He has also successfully integrated several newly acquired companies within the Shimadzu framework.

Both Shimadzu Europa and Shimadzu Deutschland are located in Duisburg, in the Ruhr region of western Germany, so Messrs. Semmler and Kwass have enjoyed a close working relationship. Jürgen Semmler stated, "Under Jürgen Kwass’ aegis, Shimadzu's network was rolled out to every European country and set up structurally and in terms of staff to serve the customer needs of medium-sized companies as well as global players. Shimadzu's growth is closely linked to his commitment and name.”

Looking ahead at trending technology, especially in the fields of automation, miniaturisation of systems, digitisation and hyphenated techniques, Shimadzu has often brought game changing innovations to the market while setting trends in analytical instrumentation developments. Jürgen Semmler added, “Digitisation in particular holds both technological and creative potential. In analytical instrumentation and medical technology it facilitates seamless workflows as well as simpler, more accurate and faster measurements and tests. It also enables analytics and medical technology to merge to deliver solutions for the most challenging medical conditions, such as the diagnosis and treatment of cancer or dementia."

Shimadzu Europa was the first Shimadzu international subsidiary outside of Asia when it first opened its door in 1968 and is now a key component in its growth and globalisation efforts. Mr Semmler concluded, "In addition to our technological expertise, we also want to continue to strengthen our presence and network on an organizational level throughout the European region, expand our teams, and increase sales and market share. I am looking forward to the tasks ahead."