Eppendorf

What they do

Eppendorf develops and sells instruments, consumables and services for life science laboratories. Its range covers manual and electronic pipettes and tips, automated liquid handling systems, centrifuges, mixers, PCR cyclers, ultra-low temperature freezers, bioreactors and the plastic tubes and plates used in daily lab work.

The company was founded in 1945 by Heinrich Netheler and Hans Hinz, whose work began at the University Hospital Eppendorf in Hamburg, from which it takes its name. It has been headquartered in Hamburg ever since and today operates as Eppendorf SE.

Why it matters

Laboratories in universities, hospitals, biotech start-ups and pharmaceutical companies depend on reliable instruments for routine work. Eppendorf's microlitre pipettes and small reaction tubes became so widespread that the company name is often used for the tubes themselves.

Accuracy and reproducibility at tiny volumes are fundamental to molecular biology, diagnostics and drug discovery. Eppendorf's products sit at the bench level of research, where small errors multiply. Its bioprocess systems extend that role into cell culture and early-stage production.

Products to know

• Pipettes and tips: manual and electronic pipetting systems for microlitre volumes.
• epMotion: automated liquid handling workstations.
• Centrifuges: benchtop and floor models such as the Centrifuge 5811 R.
• Mastercycler: thermal cyclers for PCR.

The German angle

Eppendorf's origins in a Hamburg hospital show how practical needs in medicine gave rise to a global product company. The founders developed devices for clinical work in the post-war years and turned them into a business.

Hamburg, better known for trade and shipping, also hosts a substantial life science scene, including research institutes and the university medical centre where Eppendorf began. The company remains unlisted, which allows it to invest steadily in product development and manufacturing in Germany.