About HWS Labortechnik
Who we are today
HWS Labortechnik (HWS Hans W. Schmidt GmbH & Co. KG) designs and builds laboratory glass reactors, filter units and reactor components in borosilicate glass 3.3 for laboratory and pilot-plant work. The company was founded in 1941, has been based in Mainz since 1952, and is family-run, currently in the handover from the second to the third generation.
Our history
| Year | Milestone |
|---|---|
| 1941 | Founded as a glass production workshop in the field of household items such as flower vases and glass jewelry. This laid the foundation for a later precision glass production. |
| 1952 | Relocation to Mainz and specialization in the production of mercury glass thermometers for the laboratory sector. This was the beginning of the manufacturing of scientific instruments. |
| 1960 | The switch to laboratory glass production due to the rapid growth of the chemical industry. First products made of borosilicate glass were flasks, stopcocks, and connection systems such as cone and ball joints. |
| 1976 | Occupancy of a new production facility in Mainz. Production was expanded to complex reactor systems with the corresponding peripherals. |
| 1992 | Development of suitable devices in the accessory segment, as well as integration of the highest quality materials in the field of plastics, coatings, stainless steels, and control electronics for the optimization of reactor systems. |
| 2020 | Expansion of the current production facility and modification of the glassblowing workshop to modern standards. |
| 2021 | Energy supply via a solar system was integrated. |
| 2024 | The gas supply in the glassblowing workshop is being optimized to meet the increased quality and precision demands of our customers. |
Three generations
Hans Wilhelm Schmidt: founder and inventor
Hans Wilhelm Schmidt founded the business, and the company still carries his name: HWS Hans W. Schmidt GmbH & Co. KG. His work was practical: laboratory glass apparatus that holds together under real working conditions. In 1958 he filed a utility model for a spring-loaded device that secures the detachable connection between two glass tubes (DE1777550U). In 1967 the firm registered a clamp that keeps ground-glass joints secure under high axial load (DE1965991U).
Dr. Rainer Schmidt: the scientist
The second generation brought research into the business. Dr. Rainer Schmidt completed his doctorate at the University of Mainz in 1983 with a dissertation on the isolation, identification and characterisation of Fusarium toxins (German National Library). His early papers developed high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) methods for mycotoxins in food and cereals (1981, 1981, 1984). A 1990 WHO/IPCS review of analytical methods for mycotoxins cites his 1984 paper with Klaus Dose (EHC 105).
He carried that research into the company. His 1985 paper on an optical test for detecting trichothecenes names the firm Hans W. Schmidt, Saarstraße 52, Mainz, as his affiliation (Springer). His 1987 paper came from the Mycotoxin Research Laboratory at the same address (Springer). The measuring principle behind it is the subject of his 1983 invention application, filed by Hans W. Schmidt (DE3345196A1).
In 1985 he founded the scientific journal Mycotoxin Research (Society for Mycotoxin Research). It became the official journal of the Society for Mycotoxin Research in 2005 and has been published by Springer since 2009.
Dr. Rainer Schmidt led HWS for many years. Today he is one of its two managing directors, alongside his son Hans-Martin, and supports him as the company passes to the third generation, above all on scientific and technical questions.
Hans-Martin Schmidt: the entrepreneur
Hans-Martin Schmidt is the third generation of the family. He studied business administration and learned laboratory glass apparatus and the industry from his father, Dr. Rainer Schmidt. He took over the day-to-day management of the company in 2015 and today leads HWS as managing director together with his father, as the company passes from the second to the third generation. Where his grandfather built the apparatus and his father brought in research, he runs HWS as a business: under his leadership the company has expanded its Mainz production facility, modernised the glassblowing workshop, and invested in solar energy and a new gas supply for the workshop. HWS continues what three generations have built: laboratory glass apparatus made in Mainz, designed around the customer's process.
His brother, David Schmidt, joined HWS a few years later and today works as its purchasing manager.
Research and development
Development has been part of HWS for as long as there are records of it: glass-tube connections in 1958, ground-joint clamps in 1967, an optical toxin-detection instrument in 1983 and a holding device for laboratory equipment in 1991 (DE1777550U, DE1965991U, DE3345196A1, DE9105761U1).
From December 1998 to November 2000, HWS coordinated CHEMRESIST, an EU-funded research project to develop protective coatings for large glass containers and instruments that resist alkali and acid attack, including hydrofluoric acid, at medium and high temperatures. Partners included France's Commissariat à l'Énergie Atomique, the Institute for New Materials in Saarbrücken and EA Technology in the United Kingdom (European Commission CORDIS).
How we build today
We work in borosilicate glass 3.3 and build reactor and filter units to each customer's volume, design and existing setup. Our range covers outlet valves, stirrer seals, stirrers, adapters, clamps and temperature and reflux controllers. Our glassblowing masters shape every vessel by hand in our Mainz workshop.
How our articles are produced
Our technical articles are prepared by HWS together with an external technical-content partner. Every article is reviewed and approved by HWS management before publication, in particular by Dr. Rainer Schmidt, managing director, who checks scientific accuracy and terminology.
If you find an error in one of our articles, write to info@hws-mainz.de. We correct factual errors and note significant corrections in the article.
Sources
| Source | Supports |
|---|---|
| HWS imprint | Legal name, address, management |
| DE1777550U (1958) | Hans W. Schmidt, inventor |
| DE1965991U (1967) | Firm Hans W. Schmidt, assignee |
| German National Library: dissertation, Mainz 1983 | Doctorate |
| J. Chromatogr. 207 (1981) · J. Chromatogr. 212 (1981) · J. Anal. Toxicol. 8 (1984) | HPLC research |
| Mycotoxin Research 1 (1985) · Mycotoxin Research 3 (1987) | Research at HWS, Saarstraße 52 |
| DE3345196A1 (1983) | Invention application |
| Society for Mycotoxin Research | Founder of Mycotoxin Research |
| WHO/IPCS EHC 105 (1990) | Citation of the 1984 paper |
| DE9105761U1 (1991) | HWS, assignee |
| European Commission CORDIS: CHEMRESIST | EU research project, HWS coordinator |