Artel celebrates 30 years of quality growth

Westbrook, ME, (July 4, 2012) – Artel, the worldwide leader in laboratory liquid handling quality assurance and performance verification, is proud to be celebrating its 30th anniversary.

Since being founded in 1982, Artel has evolved from a contract development and manufacturing firm into an international organization that enables laboratories all over the world ensure they produce results that can be trusted – whether they are clinical laboratories testing patients, pharmaceutical firms engaged in quality control of their drugs, or crime labs evaluating DNA evidence.

“For the past 30 years, Artel has been developing and supplying superior technology to life science laboratories worldwide. During that time we have had the pleasure of working with quality-minded lab professionals helping them solve their liquid handling challenges,” said Richard Curtis, Chairman of Artel. “We have built rewarding relationships with our customers and industry peers and we are looking forward to strengthening these in the future.”

Artel has also built a reputation for producing engaging education programs that demonstrate the importance of liquid handling quality assurance, and its Pipetting Challenge competition has proven to be a highlight at tradeshows all around the world. The company has also embarked on a series of “Extreme Pipetting Expeditions” during which intrepid Artel scientists scaled the heights of Mount Washington and endured the heat of Death Valley, the variable conditions of Yellowstone and the humidity of the Olympic National Park in order to demonstrate the effects that various environmental factors have on the accuracy of delivered liquid volumes.  Laboratories need to understand these factors which, even though less extreme in a typical working lab environment, can still have dramatic effects on test results.

In order to help customers gain the data and skills they need to meet regulatory demands, Artel has developed a fully-customizable suite of on-site services, training and certification programs that it delivers from its offices in the US, Canada and Europe.

While the company has assisted many laboratories in the pharmaceutical, clinical and life sciences sectors both at home and abroad, its most gratifying initiatives have included assisting the National Laboratory in Haiti, and the Patria Rivas Clinical Laboratory in the Dominican Republic in their efforts to implement quality standards of the highest levels despite the economic challenges faced by these countries.

“We are proud to have built a successful company that has brought jobs to the community and helped our customers ensure they can produce trustworthy results,” said Kirby Pilcher, Artel’s President. “The company’s success is all a result of the quality of its people, and I am honored to be part of such a wonderful team that not only cares about the company and its customers but also about many worthy charitable causes.”

The company supports and encourages involvement in benevolent organizations the world over. From raising money by participating in the Beach to Beacon run in Portland, Maine or the Cancer Community Center’s Fight Back Festival, participating in blood donation drives and serving on the boards of local charities, Artel staff embodies the company’s commitment to its community.

But it is not just the problems on Artel’s own doorstep that employees support, for the past few years employees have been supporting the Lekisha School, which is located in a poor, rural community north of Zambia’s capital Lusaka. Thanks to the backing provided by Artel staff, as well as others from around the world, the school now has 3 new classrooms, and 15 teachers supporting 285 pupils. Last year, one of the schools female students graduated with honors and is now studying to become a doctor.


About Artel

Founded in 1982, Artel specializes in applying proprietary ratiometric photometry-based technology to solve liquid handling quality, productivity and compliance challenges for laboratories in a wide range of industries including pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, regulatory bodies, academia, clinical diagnostics, forensics, public health, food quality and safety and environmental testing.

Artel also provides a broad and fully customizable range of quality assurance support, training and consultation services including Liquid Handler Performance Verification services for automated laboratories, on-site Pipetting Technique Training and Quality Management Certification for pipette users and laboratory managers.