Reliable by Design
Pioneering Temperature Control since 1967
"Our customers have always relied on the quality of JULABO," says Markus Juchheim, Managing Director of JULABO GmbH. "When you buy a JULABO unit, you can rest assured that all your expectations will be met: Precise temperature control paired with maximum performance. Robust products that can withstand the highest demands and perform their work hassle-free for many years. At the same time, our innovative technologies are constantly driving progress in the industry. In short: JULABO is Reliable by Design."
The Reliable by Design Contest — A Tribute to Longevity
As part of the Reliable by Design Contest, we searched worldwide in 2024 for the oldest JULABO temperature control units still in operation. The response was overwhelming — submissions from Africa, North and South America, and various European countries provided fascinating insights into the continued reliability of our devices in science, analytics, and industry.
"With the Reliable by Design campaign and this contest, we are demonstrating that reliability at JULABO is not just a promise but a lived reality," says Markus Juchheim, Managing Director of JULABO.
"The stories shared by our customers deeply impressed us and reinforced that our products make a real difference in analytics, research, and industry worldwide."
After a thorough evaluation of serial numbers by our Technical Service team, we were finally able to celebrate our winners!
Winner from Seelbach: A Heating Cabinet in a Medical Practice's Analytics Lab
On our worldwide search for the oldest operating JULABO temperature control unit, we found one right at home — in the medical practice of Dr. med. Thomas May & Annette Morstadt in Seelbach, Germany.
For an impressive 43 years, a JULABO Biotherm 37 has been reliably incubating cultures there. Year of manufacture: 1981!
2nd Place — Cutting-Edge Research with the FP50 Chiller at Kiel University
The second winner of the Reliable by Design contest comes from the Otto-Diels-Institute at Kiel University in Germany.
There, we discovered an FP50 chiller from the third quarter of 1988, which continues to provide precise cooling for two rotary evaporators in the research group of Prof. Dr. Anne Staubitz.
These rotary evaporators are used for various applications in organic chemistry.
3rd Place from 1988 — VC/3 Circulating Thermostat Testing Fuel Corrosivity in Buenos Aires
The third winner comes from Buenos Aires, Argentina. At the petroleum company DAPSA, a JULABO VC/3 circulating thermostat has been in operation for over 35 years.
Manufactured in the fourth quarter of 1988, this unit controls a locally produced corrosion protection bath. It is used to test the ability of steam turbine oils to prevent rust on iron components and to assess the corrosivity of fuels in pipelines.
Start-up in the precision engineering cluster
The history of JULABO begins in 1926, when master glass instrument maker Ernst Juchheim applies for a patent for the world's first glass contact thermometer with variable temperature setting during the Weimar Republic.
In the post-war years, the industrially producible product finds many applications, for example in the first heating circulators, in heating cabinets and incubators, and later also in large-scale chemistry.
In the 1960s, Gerhard Juchheim, who was given great responsibility in his father Ernst's Solingen-based company at an early stage, has a vision: he no longer just wants to supply components, but to develop and manufacture complete laboratory circulators for science and research.
He chooses the climatic health resort of Seelbach in the Black Forest as the ideal location - also due to the precision engineering expertise in the region, which is known worldwide for the cuckoo clocks produced here.
The newly founded company >Juchheim Labortechnik KG< is entered in the commercial register in January 1967 and takes off from a double garage.
The first step from "start-up" to innovative temperature control technology specialist with an international reputation is taken.
JULABO's milestones in temperature control technology
Dive into the fascinating history of temperature control technology at JULABO! See how the company has continued to set new standards since the introduction of the ground-breaking Exatherm U3, the first electronically controlled circulator in 1972.
From this early innovation until superior highly dynamic temperature control systems, JULABO has revolutionized the laboratory world. Find out how precise temperature control has been taken to a new level and be inspired by the milestones that have made the company a pioneer in the industry.
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"I have worked successfully with JULABO products for almost 35 years and have always been extremely satisfied with the quality and precision.
In addition, I really appreciated the people at JULABO - for me, they represent the motivation to always have the best for the customer in mind."
Frans Bakker, the first JULABO dealer in the Netherlands
JULABO temperature control technology continues to conquer new industries and new countries
The beginnings
JULABO's innovative technology initially gave an important boost to analysis in medical laboratories, especially in medical practices in Germany and neighboring countries. Precise temperature control led to faster and more accurate diagnostics tests, which significantly improved the quality of patient care.
Early focus on the global market
Company founder Gerhard Juchheim saw the great potential of his inventions early on and presented them at the leading chemical trade fair Achema in Frankfurt in 1970. And even in this early phase of the company, he began to build up a worldwide sales network with a great deal of personal insert.
Co-evolution with the pharmaceutical industry
At the beginning of the 1980s, JULABO had become an important supplier to the development departments of major German chemical and pharmaceutical companies. This was the beginning of a period in which the designs of temperature control technology and those of the chemical and pharmaceutical industries were mutually beneficial and led to groundbreaking new developments.
Breaking into ever new industries
In the 1990s, JULABO's temperature control technology conquered the material and component testing market, opening up a wide range of completely new industries: from food to aerospace and IT hardware production. This expansion enabled JULABO to establish its technology in ever more diverse application areas and open up new fields of innovation, further consolidating and expanding the company's position as a leading provider of temperature control solutions.
At the same time, a new phase of global expansion began with the founding of JULABO USA.
Foundation of regional offices worldwide
The internationalization strategy was consistently continued in the 2000s - with the establishment of regional offices in the United Kingdom, in Singapore, Japan, Italy, South Korea, China, South America, the Netherlands, and finally India.
Technologically, JULABO has opened up further important fields of application with the design of highly dynamic temperature control systems under the brand name PRESTO.
For example, in the automotive industry, the process industry and pharmaceutical kilo production.
"My collaboration with JULABO has been a real success story since the beginning in 1975.
JULABO has always been one step ahead technologically and so we have been able to offer industry and universities the best temperature control solutions together"
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Herbert Evers, former JULABO sales representative in Germany