By Danny LayzellNov 9 2021
During Lab Innovations 2021, AZoNetwork caught up with Senior Product Manager, Raymond Wong (RW) and UK Marketing Manager, Anna Cooper (AC) from Shimadzu for a quick chat about the products they were exhibiting and also the challenges they had faced over the last 12-months.
Shimadzu is a global company that provides world-class analytical and measuring instruments, medical imaging systems, aircraft equipment and industrial machinery for the advancement of human health, the safety and security of society, and industrial processes.
How are you finding the event so far? (RW)
We’ve all been in a tricky situation over the last 18-months or so. Today, it has been great to get that face-to-face contact with clients and prospects again so we can discuss their challenges more deeply and help solve the problems they have in their own companies.
What are you exhibiting at Lab Innovations today? (RW)
This is our Liquid Chromatography (LC) System. More and more people have wanted remote access to instrumentation because of the pandemic, so that’s what we have developed! We are also moving into a world of more automation and AI. This new system has AI incorporated into it and has the ability to allow remote access into the system so users can run analysis remotely, even from their home offices.
Shimadzu - AI in Liquid Chromatography
Video Credit: AZoNetwork / Shimadzu
Who are your customers? (AC)
Our customers are anyone with analytical requirements, so it could be pharma companies, clinical environmental food testing, research or academia as well as anyone who has a requirement for analytical equipment.
What have been the common discussion points at the event today? (AC)
There has been a real mixture as we are working with companies in a variety of different fields. We've had interesting discussions so far with animal food testing companies, people from clinical laboratories and in academia too. Lots of good conversations with people from a variety of industries.
What have been your main marketing challenges over the last 12-months? (AC)
Like everyone else, we’ve lost all of the in-person events which we have done in the past so we have had to adapt accordingly. It is crucial that our customers know that we really care about them, so it was vital that we opened up new lines of communication. We took it as an opportunity to train our customers and prospects interested in learning more about our instrumentation.
In a series of webinars, we discussed the fundamentals, maintenance, troubleshooting, and key principles of our solutions. Our challenge was to stay relevant in an ever-increasing digital marketing environment to ensure that our customers and prospects see really useful content from us on a regular basis.
What about the next 12-months? (AC)
We will definitely stay with a hybrid style so a mixture of in-person and digital events. Of course, we think it is really valuable to see our customer face-to-face but we will really be focused on increasing our online presence as well.
Shimadzu - Using Content to overcome marketing challenges
Video Credit: AZoNetwork / Shimadzu
Finally, I know you regularly attend our Marketing Science Webinars - how have you found them? (AC)
I am definitely enjoying them. I am really glad that AZoNetwork is providing them because there is limited information out there specifically about marketing science or for people from a science background doing marketing, so I’m attending and watching them regularly and they have been a great resource for me.
Shimadzu wins Lab Award
Photo Credit: AZoNetwork / Shimadzu
Later on in the event, Shimadzu won the Lab Awards 2021 for its solution to support the safety of scientists with remote working through the pandemic and the implementation of AI into its technology. Congratulations to all the team.