Bruker Unveils New, Sustainable Manufacturing Facility in Bremen
Bruker Corporation's new production facility has officially opened in Bremen.
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Bruker Corporation officially opened its cutting-edge production facility in Bremen – one of Germany’s major science hubs – last week, marking a significant milestone in the company’s commitment to innovation, sustainability and collaboration in the field of mass spectrometry (MS).
The new facility will manufacture all of the company’s MS products, including the tims-TOF series, the MALDI series and its magnetic resonance MS (MRMS) instruments.
Bruker invited staff, customers and the media to an opening ceremony at the facility, which showcased its sustainable features and highlighted how Bruker technology is being adopted across research fields, such as microbiology, environmental analysis and clinical proteomics.
An environmentally friendly hub for innovation
Bremen’s strong foundation in scientific instrumentation development makes it an ideal location for Bruker's new facility, Rohan Thakur, president of Bruker Daltonics, told Technology Networks:
“Bremen is like the Silicon Valley of MS. There is so much innovation going on, which attracts scientists from all over the world. This is a wonderful event and marks an exciting next chapter for Bruker.”
Bruker’s decision to establish the facility in Bremen, where its continuously expanding employee base is located, underscores its commitment to supporting the local economy and nurturing its scientific talent, Thakur added.
A standout feature of the new site is its dedication to environmental sustainability, which reflects Bruker’s spirit of “innovation with integrity". It currently operates with 98% green energy – though the company is actively working to raise this to 100% – and is built according to LEED standards. The site also holds ISO accreditations for Energy Management and Environmental Management Systems.
“We’re extremely conscious about recycling water, generating less waste and conserving power as part of our innovation journey,” Thakur said.
Sharing a specific example of how Bruker is reducing the carbon footprint of its products, Thakur referenced the design of the nanoElute® system: “As we’re injecting biological samples, you need to wash between injections, because the system gets dirty. Previously, this required the use of harsh solvents, such as methanol, acetonitrile and water isopropanol. This process was less efficient than we would have liked.”
“Today, with the wash steps we have designed for this product, we are reducing our solvent consumption by almost a factor of 50. Simple changes like this are helping our company and customers to work more efficiently and sustainably,” he added.
This statue sits in the entranceway of Bruker’s new manufacturing facility. It represents the idea of “exploring the unknown”. Credit: Technology Networks.
Nurturing collaboration and original thinking
In addition to encouraging sustainable science, the new facility – which can house up to 300 employees – has also been designed to encourage collaboration and innovation. The open-plan workspaces and absence of fixed desks allow staff from different departments to work closely together, supporting the generation of new, original ideas that align with Bruker’s mission to develop disruptive technologies.
At the opening ceremony, a series of presentations from world-renowned academics and Bruker customers emphasized just how integral disruptive technology is to the progression of life science research.
Professor Margie Morgan, director of Clinical Microbiology at Cedars Sinai, Los Angeles, has worked in the field of microbiology for ~50 years. Throughout her career, she has witnessed several evolutions in the technologies used for microbe detection and identification. Morgan’s laboratory was an early adopter of a MALDI-TOF MS instrument, which she said has been transformative:
“MALDI really changed the spectrum of my microbiology lab […] It eliminated most biochemical tests, kits and panels we had been using previously [...] we have used it to identify some really unusual organisms that biochemical tests would never have been able to identify.”
Morgan shared various case study examples on how rapid microorganism identification is helping clinicians to provide patients with effective therapy in a timely manner. MALDI technology has also helped to investigate serious microbial outbreaks in critical settings, such as Cedars Sinai’s neonatal intensive care unit, she said.
Professor Gauthier Eppe, director of the MS Lab and the Molecular Systems research unit at the University of Liege, highlighted how tims-TOF technology is setting new standards for monitoring contaminants in food and the environment. Persistent organic pollutants, or POPs, such as per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), present a significant threat to our health and that of our planet, he explained.
Eppe discussed how the gold standard approaches for POPs analysis are typically targeted methods, which, given that many POPs are yet to be identified, is a limitation for the field. His laboratory is harnessing timsTOF technology to develop and apply untargeted characterization methods using biological and environmental samples. Eppe’s talk referenced specific research applications of Bruker technology in halogenated POPs analyses.
Professor Matthias Mann, director of the Department of Proteomics and Signal Transduction at the Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry, Germany, took to the stage to discuss the invention of parallel accumulation serial fragmentation (PASEF) and its significant impact on bottom-up proteomics. Mann is the highest cited German researcher with over 320,000 citations. His work over the last 30 years has shaped the field of MS proteomics and its continuous progression into clinical settings.
Mann’s presentation explored and celebrated the evolution of MS-based methods for proteomics analyses, focusing particularly on their applications in clinical research. Referencing advancements in single-cell proteomics – which his lab is applying to study the origins of disease, identify biomarkers and understand tumor biology – he said,
“I’m on record saying that this would never happen in my lifetime, and yet it has.”
Mann also emphasized how artificial intelligence (AI) methods, combined with MS-based techniques for spatial proteomics analysis, are enhancing the molecular profiling of clinical samples.
Professor Matthias Mann discusses the evolution of MS-based proteomics at the opening ceremony for Bruker’s new manufacturing facility. Credit: Technology Networks.
Complementing Mann’s presentation, Thakur further elaborated on the adoption of Bruker technology in clinical proteomics, referencing the field of immunopeptidomics as another key application example.
“Ensuring sustained sensitivity levels in the clinical space is critical. Quick, reliable data is vital and can impact lives. We are focused on making systems that work reliably at lower sensitivities, controlling false positives and enhancing data analysis without introducing artifacts. It’s like taking a photograph at night and using software to enhance features without creating false details,” Thakur said.
Bruker’s new facility in Bremen is more than just a production site, Thakur concluded – it’s a testament to the company’s dedication to innovation, sustainability and collaboration. By bringing together cutting-edge technology, a commitment to environmental responsibility and a collaborative work environment, Bruker is “poised to lead the future of MS.”
Rohan Thakur, President of Bruker Daltonics, was speaking to Molly Campbell, Senior Science Writer for Technology Networks, at the opening ceremony of Bruker’s new facility in Bremen, Germany.
About the interviewee:
Rohan Thakur, President, Bruker Daltonics. Credit: Bruker.
Rohan Thakur is the president of Bruker Daltonics, with responsibility for global operations. He has over 25 years of experience in MS, including 14 years in applications and MS development and is the owner of several patents in the field of MS. Thakur has over 20 years managing businesses with full P&L responsibility of multi-national corporations, and a strong track record of building a high-growth, high-margin organization that outperforms competition.
