Anton Paar is on the rise

This past year, we celebrated a magnificent milestone. Colleagues from over 30 countries around the world gathered in Austria for Anton Paar's 100th year anniversary.? The celebration was deeply personal – a father/daughter business had eclipsed the century mark having grown into a technology powerhouse for scientists, innovators, and those who disrupt industries across the globe.

Stories through the decades were published in a company biography for all in attendance.? The history was profound – a story of survival through World War II, a technical innovation that helped NASA land on the moon, a first-mover advantage by adopting a "learning organization" mentality more than a decade before Peter Senge coined the phrase in his seminal book still taught by business schools today.

These heroics may provide some perspective when juxtaposed against the financial crises we have faced over the last 40 years. ?In the early 1980s, global economies were reeling from an energy crisis and economists were exploring the concept of a double dip. ?The late 2000s brought us the Great Recession and today, uncertainty continues to engage anybody who’s actively listening.?

Ulrich Santner, one of our many pioneering leaders, said it best when he spoke of the basis for success at Anton Paar. ?Simply put, “our wish is to create something new with the most scientifically and technically skilled partners.”

Growth through perseverance and strategic leadership.

Inflation and rate increases have challenged our business like many others on the macro level with rising cost of goods and on the micro level for employees with rising cost of living.? In the short run, many businesses will be increasingly aware of their balance sheet and many individuals are in for the proverbial “tightening of the belt”.? This is a normal and expected response to economic uncertainty.??History tells us those who steady the hand will reap the benefits of a calm disposition in years to come.?

Profits at Anton Paar dipped in 1984 and 2009. ?It remains to be seen what this year brings, yet our outlook remains strong.? In the years between 1984 and 2009, revenue grew 10x.? In the years from 2009 to today, our organization grew over 5x. ?In 2022, we accomplished 17% growth along with the opening of new subsidiaries in the Netherlands and the Philippines. Credit is due to those who facilitated leadership networks throughout the organization. ?Mark Kriger and Yuriy Zhovtobryukh provide an eloquent description of leadership networks, which includes the following key elements:

• A dynamic constellation of relationships extending horizontally, vertically and outside the organization;
• Collaboration based on shared values, qualities, and purpose;
• Strong collaborative corporate culture;
• Shared leadership.

Vision and quick victories – find something to celebrate.

Dennis N.T. Perkins (Vietnam Vet/Harvard MBA/Michigan Psychology PhD) wrote Leading at the Edge to describe Sir Ernest Shackleton’s 1914 attempt to traverse Antarctica against the backdrop of the leadership principles that helped Shackleton and his crew survive 684 days without a single casualty.? Just 45 days after departure, all 28 explorers were trapped by heavy pack ice off the coast of Antarctica.? On day 327 their ship, coincidentally named the “Endurance”, sank into the depths of the ocean some 800 miles away from civilization.? Shackleton was keenly aware of the many challenges he faced – freezing at sea, starvation, and a mutiny being among the worst.? Yet he still made it his personal mission to never lose sight of the ultimate goal and focus on short-term objectives.? He believed deeply in core team values and constantly reinforced the message, “We are one – we live or we die together.”?

Shackleton was also highly skilled at finding something to celebrate. ?At Anton Paar, we have plenty to celebrate.? Our clients at The Louvre in France are using Anton Paar's instrumented indentation testers in their daily work to help restore masterpieces. Our partners at Asahi-Shuzo in Japan, brewers of Dassai sake, use Anton Paar analyzing systems to better scale growth and production. Here in Seattle, the Washington Clean Energy Testbeds use Anton Paar instrumentation to help entrepreneurs and researchers accelerate our local technology sector.?

Transformation is coming to analytical and scientific instrumentation. Anton Paar is leading the charge.

Our scientifically and technically skilled partners told us about their desire for a more connected experience within the laboratory. They seek a relationship that promotes openness with industry experts who help them define what is measurable and how.? Those of us at Anton Paar are uniquely positioned to do so.

We are a dynamic organization with expertise in chemical and physical measurements including X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, rheology, scratch/indentation, gas sorption, density/concentration, viscosity, particle sizing, and a host of other techniques.? Beginning in 2018, we opened three new regional offices?in the United States in Los Angeles, Houston, and Chicago with National Headquarters located in Hanover County, VA since 1993. Technical experts are now distributed locally across the country with four fully equipped applications/testing facilities designed to help clients expedite data-driven decision making.? Our vast wealth of knowledge and experience is built from industry relationships with market leaders in biotechnology, pharmaceuticals and therapeutics, energy innovation, environmental engineering, battery manufacturing, aerospace, beverage and food manufacturing, and many more.?

We remain steadfast and lead with design, precision, and industry know-how.? Bear or bull market, we lead with our heads held high.? This is an exciting time for the clients we serve and our optimism continues to grow each day as we reflect on our past and help create a better future.