Nowadays laboratories all over the world face high regulatory and financial pressures, while matrix complexity and the number of samples to be analyzed in a certain amount of time have increased steadily over the years.
To ensure stable measurement results for long term, and high sample throughput under such conditions, automation solutions for sample preparation – in chemical analysis as well as molecular biology – are indispensible. Analytik Jena provides analytical instrumentation, molecular biology solutions and automation solutions. In addition, the company assists customers with the qualification and validation process to ensure complete compliance with standards and regulations.
Manuela Beil-Peter the Director of the Business Sector Liquid handling & Automation is handling the solutions needed for the preparation of samples in any application and throughput demands of Analytik Jena’s customers, by giving the needed flexibility to value-oriented management.
“We support our customers to leverage the best technology to develop new medicine and cancer treatments”
A More Active Role
Manuela is an entrepreneur with 18 years of global experience in lab automation and business development. Since 2014, Manuela also joined SLAS, the Society for Lab Automation & Screening, in a more active role – first as a member of the Industry Advisory Committee and at the beginning of 2019 as part of the Global Membership Committee.
Understanding Different Business Cultures
When Manuela Beil-Peter started, it was quite a challenge to understand all the different business cultures around the world. For example, to work with people from the US and with people from Japan is like day and night. “I am not saying either one is bad in any way. It is just that different cultures require different sensibilities”. That is something Manuela initially struggled with. Over time, however, her experience grew, and she learned to understand these different cultures. Today, Manuela Beil-Peter treasures these experiences. She learned a lot from her colleagues around the globe, to see things from a different angle, to approach certain topics in another – often more efficient – way. They all helped her become a better business leader and, she thinks, a better person in general.
Highly Customized Solutions
Analytik Jena’s customer base is very diverse. Every customer application is different and has its own requirements. The liquid handling and lab automation portfolio at Analytik Jena has to accommodate that. That is why the company offers a wide portfolio of liquid handling and automation products giving customers the flexibility they need – from semi-auto to fully automated and even highly customized solutions. This means the company offers solutions to laboratories that are just starting to automate as well as laboratories looking for large scale, fully automated research or quality control workflows.
Future Aspirations
Manuela Beil-Peter’s goal and of course, the goal of Analytik Jena is to become one of the premier liquid handling and automation providers on the market. To achieve that, the team needs to drive innovation to the next level and strengthen its service and support offerings. Together with customers and partners around the world, the company is working hard on making its products and solution offerings better. Clear customer focus is the key here. Developing solutions with customers will ultimately result in providing what customers want and also creates a constant feedback loop for further improvements. She is determined to achieve that.
Passion for the Job
Manuela Beil-Peter says, “A businesswoman should have a great amount of empathy. It is crucial to understand what drives others. What are their goals? What motivates them? To understand other people gives you always a different perspective on certain things, which is incredibly valuable. You can understand certain challenges better yourself or get a new idea on how to approach a business task. Other key attributes are drive and determination which are somehow intertwined. Set your goals and try to fulfill them with all the energy you have.”
Support for Entrepreneurs
Stay true to yourself and your values but be open to new ideas. Do not be dogmatic. Also, value your employees. They are the key to the success of your business. Support them and their ideas and support them to develop themselves. Create an environment for them to be happy. This way, you will ultimately create an exceptionally wellperforming team that is motivated and creative.
Over the years the company’s business experienced a lot of changes – organizational and the market changed quite a bit. That left a mark but not in a bad way. The target audience is constantly changing, and requirements are constantly shifting. Analytical Jena always has adapted to stay on top.
“But that is a challenge that is quite welcome since it keeps us innovative and the company’s products top in the market”. —by Manuela
