Page 10 - World Trade Center - 2017

B&W TEK
FROM ARCHAEOLOGICAL DIGS TO PHARMA LABS AROUND THE WORLD
Anyone who watched police procedurals in the post-CSI era should be familiar with that moment in the investigation when the forensic detective puts some vital evidence into a little plastic bag and sends it to the quirky lab techs for analysis. Now, that seems so 20th century.
New tools developed by B&W Tek bring the lab to the scene of the crime, with handheld spectrometers that can save time and money – and create a safer environment – by performing tests without moving samples from place to place.
“These are the tools used by DNREC for identifying hazardous materials when they come upon a spill at
a scene, and they are used by police to identify illicit substances that people are carrying,” said Dr. Katherine A. Bakeev, director of market and customer development at the Newark-based instrumentation company.
The uses of B&W Tek technology extend from accident scenes to archaeological digs, from art galleries to pharmaceutical labs, in Delaware and around the world. Bakeev says that more than half of the company’s business now comes from foreign markets.
Improving security at all stages of the chemical supply chain is an increasing priority around the world. Handheld spectrometers developed in Newark are often used in
the pharmaceutical industry, ensuring that the right
raw materials are added during the manufacturing process and protecting against drug counterfeiting during distribution. In Africa, where the World Health Organization believes more than 120,000 people die
every year as a result of fake anti-malarial drugs, quick identification of counterfeits can be a matter of life or death.
“We have 21 years of history as a company, and we were operating globally from the start, but the international market is continually growing,” Bakeev said. “Working with World Trade Center Delaware in many initiatives has helped put us in front of different people and markets that, from here in Delaware, we can’t always find on our own very easily.”
Bakeev remembers getting a call from Southeast Europe
from WTC Delaware Executive Director Carla Stone. While on a trade mission, Stone met with a company she thought might be a potential client for B&W Tek. The connection was made, and Bakeev confirmed they could be serviced from a distribution point in Romania.
Employees at B&W Tek in Newark design and assemble handheld spectrometers. Photo by Ron Dubick.
Today, B&W Tek has 60 global distributors and sales offices around the world, in Japan, China, Germany, Taiwan and the United Kingdom. But even so, Bakeev relies on outside allies at World Trade Center Delaware for information about new and emerging markets.
“There are always things you don’t know,” Bakeev said. “And the amazing thing about World Trade Center Delaware is the quality of their contacts and amount of information they provide that aids us in our business.”
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