Anton Paar Anton Paar Headquarters in Graz, Austria |
| Company type | GmbH |
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| Industry | Scientific equipment |
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| Founded | 1922 in Austria |
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| Founder | Anton Paar |
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| Headquarters | , |
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Key people | Friedrich Santner, CEO |
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| Services | Develops, produces and distributes laboratory instruments and process measuring systems, and provides automation and robotics. |
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| Revenue | 621 Mio Euro (2023) |
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Number of employees | 4400 |
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| Website | www.anton-paar.com |
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Anton Paar Group AG is an Austrian company based in Graz. It is owned by the charitable Santner Private Foundation with two foundation purposes: Promotion of non-profit science and research as well as measures to combat addiction problems.[1]
Anton Paar Group AG includes six companies: Anton Paar GmbH (analytical measuring systems and customized automation and robotics solutions), Anton Paar ShapeTec GmbH (metal and sheet metal technology), Anton Paar SportsTec GmbH (analysis systems, e.g. for (professional) sports), Anton Paar ConsumerTec GmbH (measuring instruments for end consumers), 24 Asset Management GmbH (real estate management) and Anton Paar Sudhaus GmbH (gastronomy and brewery).[2]
Statistics
The number of employees has increased from 652 in 2005 to over 4,400 in 2024.[3] Around a third of them work at the headquarters in Graz, which is also the Group's largest production site. Group turnover has risen from 71 million euros in 2005 to 621 million euros in 2023.[4]
Around 14.5 percent of Anton Paar GmbH's annual turnover is invested in research and development each year.
History
The company was founded in 1922 by master machinist Anton Paar as a one-man repair workshop. He built up a good reputation and made his first contacts with universities and research institutes. He trained his daughter, Margareta Platzer, as a skilled worker in the 1920s. She followed in her father's footsteps as the first female master machinist in Styria in 1932. Her talent in precision mechanics and precision manufacturing, together with Otto Kratky's knowledge, formed the basis for the first scientific analytical instrument manufactured by Anton Paar: the Kratky small-angle X-ray camera, which was produced on behalf of Kratky.[17][18]
In 1963, Platzer's son-in-law Ulrich Santner (1932-2020) took over the management of the company. He laid the foundations for the later expansion of the company in the field of measurement technology. He also intensified the exchange and contact with universities and contributed to the transfer of new technologies from research to industry.[19]
In 1997, his son-in-law Friedrich Santner joined the management. He has been the sole CEO since 2002. The main focus of his work was the organization of worldwide sales via the company's own subsidiaries. Under his leadership, new sales and service branches were established and complementary measurement technology companies were acquired.[20]
In 2003, the family business was incorporated into a charitable foundation.[21]
In January 2020, Friedrich Santner's sons joined the management. Jakob Santner became CTO and Dominik Santner COO of the company, while Friedrich Santner remained CEO.[22]
In 2023, the company opened a new technology center at its headquarters in Graz, which provides 1,000 workplaces.[23]
Product areas in measurement technology
[24]Ranked by sales volume:
- Laboratory Density & Concentration: Density measurement to determine the alcohol concentration and other parameters of liquids, for example for the development and quality testing of beverages, acids, oils and medicines.
- Rheometry: Investigation of the deformation and flow behavior of substances under the influence of external forces, such as toothpaste or ketchup.
- Process Instrumentation: Process sensors and process systems for the direct monitoring and control of production parameters, such as alcohol content, CO2 concentration and sugar content in the beverage industry.
- Texture Analysis and Extrusion: Analysis of viscosity properties and process parameters as well as extrusion for the development and quality control of baked goods, meat substitutes, plastic parts and battery components, for example.
- Viscometry: Determination of the viscosity and flow behavior of liquid or semi-liquid substances, including for the development and quality testing of fuels and lubricants, paints, foods as well as cosmetic and pharmaceutical products.
- Analytical & Synthetic Chemistry: Digestion and extraction of samples for chemical analysis, such as food, petroleum or minerals, as well as synthesis of pharmaceuticals, polymers or nanoparticles.
- Surface Area & Pores: Analysis of particle surfaces and measurement of pore sizes and pore volumes, for example for the development and quality control of battery raw materials.
- Volatility & Consistency: Standard-compliant distillation analysis, flash point testing, determination of oxidation stability and consistency of fuels and lubricants, solvents, cosmetics, edible oils and other liquid and semi-solid samples for the mineral oil, food, cosmetics and chemical industries, among others.
- Gas Analysis: Determination of the concentration of dissolved carbon dioxide, dissolved oxygen and total oxygen in liquids, for example for the quality control of beer and soft drinks in the laboratory, on the line and from containers.
- Particle Analysis & Surface Charge: Determination of particle size and shape as well as surface charge of particles and solids, e.g. for the development and quality testing of vaccines, cement and filter membranes.
- Refractive Index & Polarimeter: Measurement of refractive index and optical rotation to determine the concentration or purity of drugs, chemicals and foods, for example.
- Lab Productivity Systems: Increasing productivity in customer laboratories through automated sample changer systems and laboratory software solutions, for example for the quality testing of beverages, the development of medicines and the batch release of fuels.
- Material Characterization X-ray: X-ray diffraction (XRD) to identify and quantify crystalline components of a sample and X-ray scattering (SAXS/WAXS) to determine the size, shape and internal structure of nanomaterials, for example for the development and quality testing of drugs, building materials, pigments and nanostructure materials.
- Mechanical Surface Characterization: Quantification of material properties such as hardness, scratch resistance or coefficient of friction from the micro to the nanometer range, for example to improve implants or solar panels.
- Automation & Robotics: Customized and standardized automation and robotics solutions for high sample throughput in continuous operation, for example to increase productivity and optimize quality in a wide range of applications in the food and beverage industry and in the healthcare sector.
- Raman Technology: Identification of unknown substances, such as hazardous chemicals or drugs, and indication of chemical changes such as the formation of polymers.
- Fourier Transform Infraredspectrometer: Analysis of the chemical fingerprint with infrared light and the simultaneous calculation of many parameters in complex systems, such as the acid and sugar profile of wine.
