The aim of the new lab is to provide customers with an assessment of the analytical requirements for individual samples, or of the quality control in their processes. Users get the opportunity to test the technology before they buy, and PANalytical can also provide expertise on analytical methods.
"The Asia Pacific region, and especially China, is one of PANalytical's most important markets," said Guido Eggermont, commercial director of the Netherlands-based company.
The new laboratory is an extension of PANalaytical's 30-year track record in China, where it has focused on providing X-ray analytical products for R&D and industrial quality control and assurance. The laboratory is located near PANalytical's Chiense headquarters and is supported by experienced specialists, advisors and academics, said the firm.
It will provide local and regional support and will offer consultancy, diagnostics, demonstration and training facility. It will also coordinate with its network of partner laboratories extending to Nanjing, Chengdu, Shenyang, Dalian and Lanzhou, said PANalytical.
Anant Bhide, general manager of PANalytical Asia Pacific, said: "our growth in China outstrips the national, regional and industrial averages [and] has been fuelled by several factors," including the growth in China's local industry and research and the country's status as one of the world's largest exporters.
"With the tightening and standardisation of rules and regulations governing international trade, Chinese manufacturers and suppliers have found an increasing need to conform to these," said Bhide.
In the pharmaceutical sector, X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD) has been recognised as a valuable tool for numerous applications in drug discovery, pre-formulation and formulation of drugs, and manufacturing and quality assurance.
In all of these cases, XRPD is used to determine the crystallographic constitution of the sample from which the physical properties of an active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) or an excipient can be derived.
PANalytical claims that XRPD is superior to other commonly used techniques because it is non-destructive, allows analysis of the final oral dosage forms, and enables the detection of any change in the morphology or crystalline state of the ingredient during the production of the final product.