Markes International's worldwide thermal desorption and mass spectrometry business is set to expand, bringing benefits for analysts monitoring trace organic chemicals in air, gas and materials. New premises are being opened in Llantrisant (near Cardiff, UK) and Cincinnati (Ohio, USA), with a focus of operations being customer support and the development of new analytical solutions.

The new building in Llantrisant, which is adjacent to the company's existing headquarters, features a state-of-the-art laboratory for customer demonstrations and the development of new analytical procedures and products. There is also a conference room for seminars and customer training events, as well as improved visitor facilities and additional offices.

‘The new building will provide us with the space we need to allow our business to expand to meet customer demand, and provides an outstanding environment in which to demonstrate our instrumentation' says Elizabeth Woolfenden, Director of Markes International.

The Cincinnati facility also has a cutting-edge laboratory to showcase the full range of Markes' instrumentation, with particular emphasis on customer support. Woolfenden says ‘customers and distributors from the whole of the eastern US will now have a contact close to home, and a much more convenient place to see our technologies in action.' She adds ‘this really helps enhance our presence in North America, which continues to be a major market for us'.

Woolfenden explains that the analytical chemistry sector remains healthy despite the difficult economic climate. ‘There remains strong demand for analytical equipment to detect volatile organic compounds at trace levels, primarily driven by public demand and emissions legislation', she says. ‘These exciting developments at Llantrisant and Cincinnati will lead to big benefits for our customers, and will help take our business to the next level', she adds.

Markes' mass spectrometry division, ALMSCO International, also has a strong presence at both sites, and taking pride of place is its high-definition time-of-flight mass spectrometer, BenchTOF-dx.

‘What we want to do is show how top-quality time-of-flight mass spectrometry can really enhance the benefits of thermal desorption-gas chromatography', says Woolfenden. ‘Opening these new buildings means that we can showcase our innovative technologies side-by-side, allowing us to show how their combined power can provide analysts with exceptional performance for even the most challenging of samples'.

Markes International is the world leader in thermal desorption technology and innovation, specialising in the manufacture and supply of cryogen-free thermal desorption instrumentation, sampling accessories and consumables for monitoring volatile organic chemicals (VOCs). Markes' global customer base includes major industry, government agencies, academia and the service laboratory sector.

ALMSCO International is a division of Markes International, and manufactures BenchTOF-dx, a bench-top time-of-flight mass spectrometer for high-performance GC/MS, alongside associated spectral deconvolution and data-mining software.

For further information visit www.markes.com