Starting up is never easy, and the company, founded in 1987 as a one-man operation by Friedhelm Rickert, initially started off by offering service and spare parts sales for commercial ICP spectrometers. An ICP spectrometer (inductively coupled plasma spectrometer in which a plasma is used to generate the spectral lines of the elements to be analyzed) is an analytical instrument used for detecting toxic elements in liquids, such as screening for mercury, arsenic or lead in drinking and river water or wastewater. As early as 1988, a separate product range was developed for the laboratory technology sector, namely a standalone peristaltic pump. However, success came only when it was decided to specialize in OEM versions. These pumps are used as sample metering components in ICP spectrometers. Over the years, Spetec GmbH has become the global market leader for OEM customers.
In 1999, in cooperation with the Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Engineering and Automation in Stuttgart, a further, very successful line of business was introduced in the field of clean room technology. To start with, small mobile units based on laminar flow systems were in particular demand for analytical applications, but this product range quickly expanded to ever larger units, so that nowadays entire clean rooms are also planned, manufactured and built. These are needed in all industrial sectors (analytical laboratories, microstructure technology, microelectronics, optics, packaging of pharmaceutical products, injection molding plants) where dust particles have to be kept away from the products or equipment, for instance in laser protection systems. To this end, Spetec works with the customer to develop a comprehensive strategic concept. This comprises a whole series of individual measures, such as purifying the air in the room with suitable filter systems, wearing suitable protective clothing, optimizing work processes and directly shielding the products from all particles, including those emitted by employees. This involves staff training as well as monitoring the quality of the air in the room by regularly measuring the particle count.
Spetec GmbH is ISO 9001 accredited. The appointment of Fabian Holzner and Ruth Rickert-Kreikemeier as managing directors recently heralded the transition to the second generation.
In the years since its foundation, Spetec GmbH has grown rapidly, from a one-man operation to a company with a workforce that currently numbers around 80. The immense success of the company, the rapidly increasing workforce and continuing high demand, explain why a new company building with approx. 2500 square meters of production and office space as well as storage area on an area of approx. 9000 square meters in the industrial area in Erding was already put into operation in 2022. The same year saw the 35th anniversary of the company’s foundation. Looking back, these 35 years have been marked by innovation, expansion and success, and, of course, Spetec GmbH intends to continue to expand and provide dust-free air in the future.
