What GERSTEL does

GERSTEL develops and manufactures automated sample preparation instrumentation for Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry (GC/MS) and Liquid Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry (LC/MS) analysis. Founded in 1967 and headquartered in Germany with US operations in Linthicum Heights, Maryland, the company sells a portfolio centered on the MPS Robotic PRO autosampler platform, which orchestrates thermal desorption (TDU/TDS), dynamic headspace (DHS), pyrolysis, solid phase microextraction (SPME), stir bar sorptive extraction (Twister SBSE), automated solid phase extraction (FREESTYLE XANA), olfactory detection (ODP 4), and cooled injection (CIS) through a single MAESTRO software control layer with PrepBuilder and PrepAhead scheduling. The product line is differentiated by valveless inert flow paths in the thermal desorption units, parallel sample preparation that the company claims nearly doubles lab throughput, and integration with major chromatography platforms including Agilent GC-MS instruments. Notable proprietary marks include Twister and MAESTRO.

GERSTEL monetizes primarily through capital equipment sales to analytical laboratories, supplemented by recurring service support contracts (one-year plans covering repair/replacement and priority applications-engineer access in the US and Canada), MAESTRO software licensing, and consumables such as sorbent tubes, Twister stir bars, CIS liners, and syringes. Pricing is quote-based with no public list prices; orders of $100K or more require a 50% deposit with balance due in 30 days. Go-to-market combines direct enterprise field sales, co-sell with Agilent Technologies, and a worldwide distributor network; in late 2024 the company was acquired by Battery Ventures-backed Advanced Automation Technologies (AAT), rebranded as Velaris in early 2026 alongside sister brands Skalar, Promochrom, LCTech, and EST Analytical. End customers span food and beverage safety, environmental testing (including PFAS), forensics and toxicology, aroma and fragrance, metabolomics, chemicals and polymers, pharmaceuticals, material emissions, and academic research, with named users including Ohio State University, Bardstown Bourbon, MoMA, the Fire Safety Research Institute, and University of Waterloo.

Name

GERSTEL

Legal name

GERSTEL Inc.

Website

https://gerstelus.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1967

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

GERSTEL manufactures automated sample preparation instrumentation — thermal desorption, robotic autosamplers, pyrolysis, and SPE systems — for GC/MS and LC/MS workflows, serving analytical laboratories in food safety, environmental, pharmaceutical, forensic, and aroma/fragrance applications globally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Analytical Laboratory Instrumentation

NAICS

Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing (334516)

SIC

Laboratory Analytical Instruments (3826)

akta.pro primary industry

Analytical Instruments & Chromatography Systems (HLAGAIAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Liquid Handling & Laboratory Automation (Pipettes, Robots, Workstations) (HLAGAIAD), Mass Spectrometry & Spectroscopy Instruments (HLAGAIAB)

Keywords

• Automated sample preparation
• Thermal desorption systems
• GC-MS automation
• Analytical instrumentation
• Chromatography solutions

Headquarters

HQ city

Linthicum Heights

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Analytical Instrumentation Sales: Sale of automated sample preparation instruments including thermal desorption systems, autosamplers, pyrolysis units, and related hardware for GC/MS and LC/MS analysis.
2. Service Support Contracts: One-year service support plans providing repair/replacement coverage, priority phone support from GERSTEL engineers, and remote troubleshooting. Available for customers in USA and Canada.
3. Software Licenses: MAESTRO software and other data evaluation software products licensed to customers for operating GERSTEL instruments.
4. Consumables and Accessories: Sale of consumables including sorbent tubes, Twister stir bars, CIS liners, syringes, and other accessories. Small parts and accessories carry 30-day warranty versus 1-year for main products.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

GERSTEL develops and manufactures automated sample preparation systems and solutions for Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry (GC/MS) and Liquid Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry (LC/MS) analysis. Its portfolio includes thermal desorption units, the MPS Robotic PRO autosampler platform controlled by MAESTRO software, dynamic headspace samplers, pyrolysis systems, olfactory detection ports, automated SPE, SPME, Twister SBSE, and V-ITEX vacuum extraction. The company sells instruments, consumables/accessories, MAESTRO software licenses, and service support contracts to analytical laboratories worldwide.

Product overview

GERSTEL provides a comprehensive portfolio of automated sample preparation systems and solutions for Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry (GC/MS) and Liquid Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry (LC/MS) analysis. The core offerings include the MPS Robotic PRO autosampler platform with MAESTRO software, thermal desorption systems (TDU/TDS), dynamic headspace (DHS), pyrolysis systems, and the Olfactory Detection Port 4 (ODP 4). Supporting products include the Cooled Injection System (CIS), solid phase microextraction (SPME), Twister stir bar sorptive extraction (SBSE), FREESTYLE XANA for automated SPE, multidimensional gas chromatography (GCxGC), V-ITEX vacuum extraction, and cryo trap systems. These products work together as an integrated workflow ecosystem, with the MPS autosampler as the central automation platform controlling sample preparation, introduction, and analysis across various techniques for applications in food safety, environmental testing, forensics, flavors/fragrances, and pharmaceutical analysis.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• Nearly doubled lab productivity through PrepAhead technology enabling parallel sample preparation steps
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature12 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Agilent TechnologiescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing strategic partnership where GERSTEL systems are sold and supported with Agilent GC-MS instruments. Joint presentations at Pittcon and collaborative webinars on topics like PFAS analysis and E&L studies.
• VelariscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVelaris is the unified brand identity for the AAT platform combining GERSTEL with Skalar, Promochrom, LCTech, EST Analytical, and other laboratory automation companies. At Pittcon 2026, GERSTEL exhibited under the Velaris booth #2945.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Shimadzu Scientific Instruments: Shimadzu manufactures GC-MS, LC-MS, and related sample-introduction automation. Its AOC-6000 autosampler competes with GERSTEL's MPS platform in food safety, environmental, and clinical research laboratories globally.
• Thermo Fisher Scientific: Thermo Fisher offers GC-MS, LC-MS, and a wide range of sample-prep consumables and automation. Its TriPlus RSH autosampler competes directly with GERSTEL's MPS family across pharmaceutical, environmental, and food safety labs.
• PerkinElmer: PerkinElmer offers a broad analytical instrument portfolio including GC, GC-MS, and automated sample-prep solutions. It overlaps with GERSTEL in environmental, food, and material-emissions testing applications.
• Agilent Technologies: Agilent is the leading GC-MS vendor and a core strategic partner of GERSTEL. While it does not focus on add-on sample-prep automation, its broad analytical instrument portfolio and direct sales force create overlapping go-to-market dynamics with GERSTEL.

Emerging players

• Restek Corporation: Restek supplies chromatography consumables, columns, and reference standards used in GC/LC workflows. It is an adjacent peer with partial overlap in sample-prep consumables that complement GERSTEL's installed instruments.
• Skalar Analytical: Skalar is a Velaris sister company providing wet chemistry analyzers and automated laboratory robotics. While its primary focus is continuous-flow and discrete analysis rather than GC/LC-MS prep, it is now a co-distributed lab-automation brand under Velaris.

Direct peers

• CTC Analytics: CTC Analytics manufactures the PAL3 robotic autosampler platform that underpins GERSTEL's MPS Robotic PRO. It is both a critical supplier and a direct peer offering competing autosampler-based sample-prep automation.
• Markes International: Markes International specializes in thermal desorption and related sample-prep instrumentation for GC-MS, directly overlapping GERSTEL's flagship TDU/TDS franchise and competing head-to-head in environmental and material-emissions applications.
• EST Analytical: EST Analytical is another Velaris sister brand focused on purge-and-trap and volatile organic compound analysis for GC-MS. It competes in adjacent sample-introduction niches and is now a co-branded sibling under the same platform.
• LCTech: LCTech is a sister company under the Velaris (formerly AAT) platform specializing in automated sample prep for dioxin, PCB, and PFAS analysis. It directly overlaps with GERSTEL in environmental and food-safety sample-prep automation and is a natural cross-sell counterpart.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@GERSTEL_US
• Xx.com/gerstelinc
• Facebookfacebook.com/GERSTELinc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/gerstel

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 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 GERSTEL