Corporate Information

Headquartered in Columbia, Maryland, Shimadzu Scientific Instruments (SSI) is the American subsidiary of Shimadzu Corporation (Kyoto, Japan). SSI was established in 1975 as a distribution center providing analytical solutions to a wide range of laboratories and lab services providers in the Americas. Today, SSI’s focus has expanded greatly beyond distribution. SSI maintains a network of ten regional offices strategically located across the United States, with experienced technical specialists, service and sales engineers situated throughout the country; a state-of-the-art Customer Training and Education Center; and Shimadzu U.S.A. Manufacturing, which supplies HPLC, GC-MS/MS, LC-MS/MS, and other high-tech products to the U.S. market.

A more detailed listing of Shimadzu Corporation’s history can be found on our global site.

Shimadzu’s instruments are used by scientists throughout the Americas, and we count as customers some of the world’s leading institutions as well as a long list of local, state, and federal government laboratories. In addition, SSI is a leader in the academic community with a robust grant program and a SPARQ (Shimadzu Partnership for Academics, Research, and Quality of Life) program designed to build long-term relationships between the company and colleges/universities

Shimadzu’s growth throughout its history is a testament to experience, technological expertise and customer service/support. Moving forward, Shimadzu will continue to develop and manufacture instruments that deliver results faster and more efficiently than ever before to meet the needs of researchers, scientists, and manufacturers around the globe.

Innovative Research & Development

At Shimadzu, research and development represents the cornerstone of progress. From its inception, the Shimadzu Corporation has been investing resources to develop advanced technology to provide solutions for science, medicine, industry, and the environment. Many of these patented innovations have resulted in new discoveries and increased productivity, and have improved the quality of life the world over.

Today, Shimadzu continues the tradition as a global leader in the development of solutions for the world's technology hurdles. Please visit the Research & Development page to learn about core technologies, new business development, Shimadzu’s R&D organization, and more.

Solution Center / Innovation Center

As part of its commitment to customer service and innovation, SSI operates a Solution Center that showcases a wide range of products and capabilities. The center provides space for more collaborative research and enables SSI to quickly develop new software applications and focused-based solutions to better serve growing customer demands.

The Innovation Center houses a team of engineers and scientists whose goal is to develop close collaborations with universities, government agencies, and industry centers. SSI uses the facility to focus on customization of both hardware and software to meet local demands and engage in application development in a variety of areas, such as food safety, pharmaceuticals, and the environment.

Koichi Tanaka Mass Spectrometry Research Laboratory (located in Kyoto, Japan)

Headed by Koichi Tanaka, awarded the 2002 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, this laboratory conducts research for the development of new mass spectrometry techniques and equipment for analyzing biological macromolecules such as proteins. The aim is to broaden the scope of mass spectrometry by actively pursuing researchers and by participating in joint research projects with leading universities, research institutes, and corporations. Under the guidance of Mr. Tanaka, the spirit of discovery and foundation for success continues at Shimadzu. If you would like to read more about Mr. Tanaka and his Nobel Prize winning research, click here.

Customer Training and Education Center

The Shimadzu Customer Training and Education Center (CTEC) serves as the primary educational facility for our customers. State-of-the-art interactive teaching media is employed in classroom sessions, and highly qualified instructors train customers in the operation and maintenance of their Shimadzu instruments. Course development is based on both theoretical and practical applications. We welcome and encourage colleague discussions and provide the opportunity to interact with Shimadzu product specialists.

To meet the increasing demand for more localized availability, Shimadzu offers convenient on-site training. Interactive PC-based programs have also been developed for selected courses.

To learn more and see a list of classes, please click here.

Product Service and Support

The goal of the Shimadzu product support staff is to ensure our customers' success with their instruments. Highly trained field service technicians, strategically located throughout the country, are equipped to enable fast and efficient response to any situation. They are supported by experienced product engineers and applications specialists at the Shimadzu Technical Support Center in Columbia, MD.