Shanghai Qianxin Instrument Co.

What Shanghai Qianxin Instrument Co. does

Shanghai Qianxin Instrument Co., Ltd. (上海千欣仪器有限公司) is a privately-held Chinese scientific instrument distributor headquartered in Shanghai, founded in 2001. The company operates as a first-class distribution agent for international manufacturers—primarily Nikon—offering a comprehensive portfolio of high-end optical microscopy systems across China, including super-resolution microscopes (N-SIM, N-STORM), point-scanning and multiphoton confocal microscopes (AX/AXR, A1 MP+), inverted, upright, polarizing and stereo microscopes, light-sheet systems (MegaSPIM, SmartSPIM), in vivo imaging platforms (IR Vivo), scientific-grade CMOS/EMCCD cameras (Andor, PCO, Photometrics), and complementary modules such as micromanipulators, culture incubators, light engines (CoolLED, Lumencor), and AI-enabled digital pathology software (Visiopharm).

The company serves roughly four end-market segments: universities and academic research institutes (primary), hospitals and clinical research institutions, biopharmaceutical and biotech enterprises (drug discovery, QC, bio-manufacturing), and quality inspection / industrial materials analysis. Its go-to-market is direct sales supported by nine branch offices across China covering East, South, Southwest, Central, Northwest and Northeast regions. Revenue is generated through one-time capital equipment sales (imported hardware) and professional services for pre-sales application consulting, installation, acceptance, and post-sales technical support. The company has deployed nearly 10,000 instruments over its 20+ year operating history and employs approximately 100 staff, 60% of whom are technology-related.

Operationally, Qianxin is a channel-based distribution business rather than an OEM; its value proposition centers on being the single China-wide gateway for high-end imported microscopy brands, complemented by application expertise, after-sales technical service, and recognized standing within professional societies (Cell Biology Society, Translational Medicine Society, China Instrument Industry Association). The business model is sensitive to Chinese research capital expenditure cycles, university grant funding, biopharma R&D budgets, and bilateral trade dynamics for imported scientific instruments.

Name

Shanghai Qianxin Instrument Co.

Legal name

Shanghai Qianxin Instrument Co., Ltd. (上海千欣仪器有限公司)

Website

https://chansn.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Shanghai Qianxin Instrument Co. is a Chinese scientific instrument distributor headquartered in Shanghai that serves as the first-class China-wide agent for Nikon and other international manufacturers of high-end optical microscopy, confocal, super-resolution, and light-sheet imaging systems for universities, hospitals, and biopharma customers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Scientific Optical Microscopy Instruments

NAICS

Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing (334516)

SIC

Laboratory Analytical Instruments (3826), Optical Instruments & Lenses (3827)

akta.pro primary industry

Microscopy, Imaging & Flow Cytometry Instruments (HLAGAIAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Machine Vision & Optical Sensing (Cameras, 3D vision, LiDAR, illumination) (IMAGAFAB)

Keywords

• Optical microscopy instruments
• Super-resolution microscopes
• Confocal microscopy systems
• Scientific imaging cameras
• Live cell imaging

Headquarters

HQ city

Shanghai

HQ country

China

HQ region

Asia

Offices8 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Optical microscopy instrument sales: Qianxin generates revenue primarily through sales of high-end imported optical microscopy equipment as a first-class agent for international manufacturers like Nikon. Revenue is one-time hardware sales of instruments including confocal microscopes, super-resolution microscopes, imaging systems, and related peripherals.
2. Technical services and after-sales support: The company provides post-sales installation, acceptance, and technical support services. Pre-sales technical support and application consulting are also offered to assist customers in selecting appropriate instruments.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Shanghai Qianxin Instrument Co., Ltd. is a privately held scientific instrument distributor that supplies imported high-end optical microscopy systems (primarily from Nikon) and related imaging, sample-preparation and image-analysis products to Chinese research and clinical customers. The company sells super-resolution, confocal, multiphoton, inverted, upright, polarizing, stereo and patch-clamp microscopes, sCMOS/EMCCD cameras, light-sheet microscopes, in vivo imaging systems, imaging software, micromanipulators and environmental control devices, complemented by pre-sales application consulting and post-sales installation, acceptance and technical support.

Product overview

上海千欣仪器有限公司是一家专业从事光电产品销售与服务的企业，成立于2001年，总部位于上海，全国主要省会城市设有九个办事处或分公司。公司作为尼康等多家国际知名厂商的一级代理，产品涵盖光学显微产品（超分辨率显微镜N-SIM S/E和N-STORM、激光共聚焦显微镜AX/AXR/A1 MP+/C2+系列、活细胞成像系统BioStation系列、倒置显微镜Ti2/Ts2系列、正置显微镜Ni/Ci/Ei系列、偏光显微镜LV100N系列、体视显微镜SMZ系列等）、影像采集产品（PCO Panda/edge系列、Andor iXon EMCCD/CMOS-Sona系列、Prime BSI系列科研级相机、尼康Digital Sight系列相机）、显微成像软件NIS-Elements、显微操作系统、显微镜用培养装置（STR系列、OKOLAB H201/H301/UNO培养箱）、光片显微产品（MegaSPIM、MegaStome、SmartSPIM、SmartBatch+）、活体成像系统（IR Vivo、发光成像）、电子显微产品及周边设备（JEOL扫描电镜、Quorum临界点干燥仪、冷冻干燥仪、蒸碳仪、溅射仪）以及系统应用附件（Lumencor/CoolLED光源、尼康D-LEDI、Coherent激光器、光学滤光片、防震台、3D生物打印系统、微环境生物反应器）等近万台专业仪器设备，广泛应用于高校、科研院所、医院、质检、生物制药等领域的科研、医疗、检测和制造行业。

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• N-SIM S Super-Resolution Microscope High-speed structured illumination super-resolution microscope (~115nm lateral resolution, up to 0.6 sec/frame) for live-cell super-resolution time-lapse imaging of dynamic molecular interactions.
• N-STORM Super-Resolution Microscope STORM super-resolution microscope (~20nm XY / ~50nm Z resolution, up to 3 colors, 500 Hz acquisition) for imaging subcellular organelles in cells and microorganisms.
• AX/AXR Confocal Microscope System Nikon 10th-generation point-scanning confocal microscope (AX for high-resolution, AXR for ultra-high-speed) with 25mm FOV, up to 8192x8192 resolution and integrated AI technology for spectral precision and speed.
• AX with NSPARC Spatial Array Confocal Confocal system with NSPARC spatial array detector that collects 2D images at each scan point, enabling 3D super-resolution confocal imaging through multi-sampling that improves both planar and axial resolution.
• AX R MP Multiphoton Confocal Microscope Multiphoton confocal microscope combining large FOV (22mm) and high-speed high-resolution scanning with both dual-photon and single-photon confocal imaging, supporting 720fps resonant scanning, 2Kx2K resonant and 8Kx8K galvo scanning.
• A1 MP+ / A1R MP+ Two-Photon Confocal Microscope Two-photon confocal microscope system for high-resolution imaging of deep regions within live cells.
• C2+ / C2si+ Confocal Microscope Research-grade point-scanning confocal microscope supporting up to 10 laser lines, configurable with standard or spectral detectors, with maximum scanning speed of 100fps (512x32 pixels).
• BioStation CT Cell Culture Observation System Live-cell culture and observation system enabling direct stem cell screening inside the incubator (460L capacity), with CO2/O2 concentration control and macro/microscopic observation plus time-lapse imaging.
• BioPipeline SLIDE High-Throughput Slide Scanning System High-content slide imaging platform designed for high-throughput pathology slide scanning and image acquisition.
• ECLIPSE Ti2-E Inverted Research Microscope Research-grade inverted microscope equipped with Perfect Focus System (PFS), supporting 25mm FOV imaging and integration with N-SIM/N-STORM super-resolution, TIRF, fluorescence lifetime and live-cell workstations.
• ECLIPSE Ni-E Motorized Upright Research Microscope (Stage-Focus) Motorized research-grade upright microscope with motorized fluorescence, illumination, condenser and four-position nosepiece, supporting 25mm FOV.
• ECLIPSE Ci-E Clinical and Laboratory Microscope Clinical and laboratory microscope equipped with motorized condenser and automatic intensity reproduction, supporting epi-fluorescence observation.
• ECLIPSE LV100N POL Polarizing Microscope Research-grade polarizing microscope with 12V50W halogen lamp and centerable five-position nosepiece, supporting polarized-light observation.
• ECLIPSE FN1 Patch-Clamp Microscope Patch-clamp microscope with I-shaped body design for smooth electrode operation, equipped with CFI60 and CFI75 infinity-corrected optics and supporting DIC and phase-contrast observation.
• SMZ25 Stereo Microscope Motorized stereo microscope offering 25:1 zoom ratio with apochromatic optical system for biotechnology and materials-science applications.
• DS-Ri2 Ultra-High-Resolution Color Camera Microscope digital imaging system providing 16.25-megapixel natural-color high-resolution color images, high-speed full-pixel capture at 6fps and 45fps at 4908x3264 resolution.
• NIS-Elements Imaging Software Integrated imaging software that controls peripheral hardware, acquires multi-dimensional images and provides data management and analysis, with three software versions for different needs.
• Andor iXon EMCCD Series Camera Andor EMCCD imaging camera offering single-photon sensitivity, >95% back-illuminated quantum efficiency, fast frame rates and SRRF-Stream super-resolution capability for single-molecule detection and cell physiology research.
• PCO.Panda 26 sCMOS Camera High-resolution true-charge global-shutter sCMOS camera with 65% quantum efficiency for high-sensitivity imaging.
• MegaSPIM Large-Tissue High-Throughput Light-Sheet Microscope Large-tissue high-throughput light-sheet microscope for 3D high-resolution structural analysis of human or other large mammalian brain slices and organ arrays.
• SmartBatch+ High-Throughput Active Tissue Clearing and Immun Labeling System Integrated batch tissue processing equipment combining active tissue clearing and immunolabeling, used for clearing and labeling of large-volume samples.
• IR Vivo Small-Animal In Vivo Imaging System Near-infrared (NIR-I and NIR-II) in vivo imaging system covering 900nm-1620nm observation window, used for in vivo research in small animals or live biologicals with imaging depth up to 30mm.
• JEOL JCM-7000 Benchtop Scanning Electron Microscope Benchtop scanning electron microscope for observing surface micromorphology of samples in routine industrial and laboratory use.
• Fully Automated FISH Fluorescence Analysis System Fluorescence microscope system suitable for FISH detection, supporting automated fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) analysis.
• Proscan III Motorized Microscope Stage System High-precision 3D motorized scanning stage for automated XY displacement and Z-axis step control of microscopes in microscopy automation.

Quantifiable outcome

• Nearly 10,000 professional instruments deployed to users across various industries
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Beijing Ruiguang Technology Co., Ltd. (北京睿光科技有限责任公司)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 8 October 2021Shanghai Qianxin Instrument and Beijing Ruiguang Technology reached a strategic cooperation in October 2021. Qianxin obtained the exclusive distribution rights for Ruiguang Technology's NirVivo small animal in vivo fluorescence imaging product in the East China region. This partnership enables Qianxin to expand its product portfolio in the in vivo imaging segment.
• Nikon (尼康)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorQianxin is a first-class agent for Nikon, distributing Nikon's full range of optical microscopy products including super-resolution microscopes (N-SIM, N-STORM), confocal microscopes (AX/AXR, C2+), inverted/upright microscopes (Ti2-E, Ni-E), polarizing microscopes, stereo microscopes, and imaging systems throughout China. The company has been recognized with multiple awards from Nikon.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Leica Microsystems: Leica Microsystems (Danaher) is a leading global manufacturer of optical microscopes and imaging systems, directly competing with Nikon's microscopy portfolio that Qianxin distributes. Both serve advanced life science, clinical, and industrial research customers with confocal, super-resolution, and stereo microscope offerings.
• Olympus Life Science (Evident): Olympus Life Science (now Evident) manufactures and sells a wide range of optical microscopes that compete directly with Nikon microscopes distributed by Qianxin. Both target university, clinical, and industrial research customers with similar inverted, confocal, and super-resolution product categories.
• Nikon Instruments: Nikon Instruments is Qianxin's primary principal and a global leader in optical microscopy. Both serve the same advanced research customer base in China, but Nikon is the manufacturer while Qianxin is the distribution partner; any shift in Nikon's China go-to-market strategy would directly impact Qianxin's position.
• Carl Zeiss Microscopy: Carl Zeiss Microscopy is a global leader in optical and electron microscopy, offering competing products to those distributed by Qianxin (Nikon). Both serve advanced life science and materials research customers with super-resolution, confocal, and stereo microscope systems, particularly in Chinese universities and institutes.

Others

• Hamamatsu Photonics: Hamamatsu Photonics manufactures scientific cameras, detectors, and light sources used in microscopy and imaging applications—complementary to Qianxin's portfolio. While not a direct distributor competitor, both serve the same advanced life science research customer base with related products.
• JEOL: JEOL is a Japanese manufacturer of electron microscopes and other scientific instruments, distributed by Qianxin in China. Both serve Chinese universities and research institutes, though JEOL is a manufacturer while Qianxin operates as a distributor in a partner relationship.
• Andor Technology (Oxford Instruments): Andor Technology manufactures EMCCD and sCMOS cameras for scientific imaging and is one of Qianxin's principal partners. Both supply into the same advanced microscopy customer base, though Andor is a manufacturer while Qianxin is a distributor; the relationship is symbiotic rather than competitive.

Regional players

• Sunny Optical Technology: Sunny Optical Technology is a leading Chinese optical components and instruments manufacturer with growing presence in microscopy and imaging. It is comparable in terms of optical instrument offerings and serves overlapping Chinese markets, though its microscopy products are more emerging compared to Qianxin's mature distribution platform.

Direct peers

• Phenix Optical: Phenix Optical is a major Chinese manufacturer of optical microscopes and components, including advanced research-grade systems. It competes directly with Qianxin's Nikon product line in China and benefits from China's import-substitution initiatives in scientific instruments.
• Motic: Motic is a leading Chinese microscope manufacturer that directly competes with Qianxin's imported Nikon product line in the China market. Both target Chinese universities, research institutes, hospitals, and industrial customers, though Motic competes primarily on price-performance in mid-tier segments and has been expanding into higher-end super-resolution and confocal capabilities.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Shanghai Qianxin Instrument Co.