Gilles Martin Discusses Eurofins' Global Strategy

And to think, it all started with wine. In just over 25 years of existence, Eurofins Scientific evolved from a small family business in France into one of the global leaders in food, pharmaceutical and environmental testing. The man behind it all, Gilles Martin, founder and CEO of Eurofins, started the company in 1987 when he purchased and patented Site-Specific Natural Isotope Fractionation-Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (SNIF-NMR) technology from the University of Nantes. Researched and developed by Martin’s own parents, the technology was originally designed to test the sugar content of the product for which France is best known: wine. With SNIF-NMR, Martin saw the potential not only to test Merlots and Cabernets, but to provide a solution to the testing needs of manufacturers of all sorts of products around the world. Now headquartered in Brussels, Eurofins has more than 14,500 employees working in about 200 labs on six continents. A rare hybrid of experienced scientist and savvy businessman, Martin isn’t planning to slow down. When he speaks about Eurofins, it is with a casual pride that seems more befitting of a father speaking about his child than of a leader in global testing discussing a company that exceeds €1 billion in annual revenue. “Until now, our company has been in it’s infancy,” said Martin. “For a long time, we were working to build our foundation. But now we have a solid platform, and we’re investing heavily.” As Eurofins grows, Martin and his counterparts are constantly faced with the challenge of scaling their testing science, which began in a single laboratory, to meet the needs of clients worldwide. Eurofins’ solution to that challenge is to standardize methodology and instrumentation across all of the company’s laboratories, from Seattle to Shanghai and everywhere in between. “These days, companies buy ingredients that come from the other side of the world”, “We need to be able to guarantee that, no matter where they are, our tests will be done using the same method and at the same high level of quality.” said Martin. By investing in promising start-ups and established laboratories around the world, Martin believes that Eurofins can continue to offer its clients the highest quality services while also fostering innovation that might lead to faster, more efficient and more cost-effective tests. Within the next five years, Eurofins plans to invest €1 billion in order to meet those goals while simultaneously doubling its annual revenue to €2 billion. “At the end of the day, what’s most important for our customers is to make sure their products are safe,” said Martin. “We provide the most comprehensive range of testing available anywhere on the planet. I think that those who decide to work with us want to ensure that their product is the best, safest product that can be achieved in the current state of science.” Gilles Martin’s vision for Eurofins is simple: to be the world leader in the field of bioanalytical testing. Starting with technology designed to test a single product in one small lab in France, that vision has quickly become a reality. See Gilles discuss Eurofins and its place in the global testing market here. If you are working in the food testing and analysis industry, Examining Food would be pleased to profile your organization. Please send an email to us at thermoscifood@gmail.com