Merci - Partner for Your Laboratory

RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT

The variety of work in different types of university laboratories, scientific and research institutions and private firms has put greater and greater demands on properties, operational economy and quality workmanship of all laboratory equipment items over time. Our everyday work involves regular contacts with researchers. Their frequent suggestions regarding possible improvement or streamlining some routine tasks, higher work safety and environmental protection or saving of costs and workspace have made the company management to approach some specific practical problems and try not only to solve them successfully from particular user’s point of view, but also define the theoretical basis for a brand new laboratory concept, precluding some negative aspects thanks to its structure, layout and installed equipment.

In 2007, the company management therefore decided to establish a Research & Development Department led by Mgr. Radim Appel.

The continuing interest of investors in reconstructions or new laboratory interiors has led the R&D team at MERCI to setting up new tasks in the area of laboratory furniture manufacture. The new concept of modern building construction for process purposes puts great emphasis on purposeful supply line design and the variability of utilities. The research and development in the area of modern fume cupboards and utility walls proceeded to the next development stage, consisting in suspended walls for utility supplies that are multifunctional and do not take laboratory floor area, which is a significant contribution to the variable use of the whole space. As we have worked on the design development with renowned specialists in industrial design, the final product is not only highly functional but it will be an aesthetic feature of each workplace.

Customers’ requirements for workplace furnishing with laboratory furniture also include very diverse requirements for resistance of materials used to a wide range of chemicals. This problem is closely connected with furniture for areas with higher demands for cleanliness of the environment. Sheet material manufacturers try to meet these demands by developing new foil types and new quality of the inner board material so that the final products comply with these requirements. We have decided to deal with the issue of sheet material suitability for clean rooms, rooms for work with radioactive substances or rooms with highly corrosive lyes and acids in a new R&D task titled “Furniture For Clean Rooms”. Each furniture type was tested on the premises of and in cooperation with our major partners and customers such as Třinecké železárny process control laboratories, laboratories of both Slovak nuclear power plants, and Noventis Zlín facilities.

These sites are used for developing and testing not only worktops, furniture edges, furniture parts and fittings but also other furniture components.

In order to react to market demands as good as possible, our laboratory furniture research and development created a new “E” series of ECO(nomical) laboratory furniture reflecting with its performance the high standard of the MERCI® laboratory furniture This aim is achieved by selecting suitable manufacturing process, type and series size as well as suitable materials.

Customers will be acquainted with this new “E” series in the first quarter of 2011.