What ratiolab does

Ratiolab GmbH is a privately held German manufacturer of plastic laboratory consumables and selected liquid-handling instruments, founded in 1975 and headquartered in Dreieich near Frankfurt. The company sells a multi-category catalog spanning Pipettes & Equipment (under the ratiolab brand and the Slamed sub-brand, including the Accupetta electronic pipetting aid, Dispetta serial dispenser, Slamed precision and multichannel pipettes, Slamed bottle-top dispensers, the Thermocult incubator and the Coagulometer CC-4000), Liquid-Handling (pipette tips such as Crystal, Wide Bore and the aeroject® filter-tip family, plus serological pipettes, reservoirs and refill systems), Life-Science (PCR plates and tubes, deep-well and micro test plates, cover films, microplate lids and the new Clara 6-Well 50 ml cell culture and 30 ml filter plate products), Lab-Ware, and Cryo accessories. The core technology is vertically integrated plastics manufacturing — in-house tool and mold making, injection molding, individual production, assembly and logistics — augmented by the THINK! engineering team that develops bespoke plastic lab products alongside customers from concept to serial production. The company holds ISO 9001:2015 (SKZ-Cert) and ISO 13485 (DQS Medizinprodukte) certifications, supporting clinical and diagnostic end-market access.

The business runs on a hybrid revenue model combining one-time catalog sales of standardized consumables with project-based THINK! engineering services. Pricing is uniformly quote-based with no publicly disclosed unit prices, and the catalog 2025-2026 is distributed as a free PDF. Distribution is multi-channel: indirect sales through a long-standing network of laboratory specialist dealers in Germany and abroad, direct sales to domestic end customers in industry, research and medicine, an own e-commerce storefront with shopping cart, and group-level cross-selling via the Porvair Life Sciences Group sister brands Porvair Sciences, JG Finneran, Kbiosystems and Seal Analytical. Customer segments are diversified across research laboratories, medical and clinical laboratories, education, and industrial pharma/biotech/diagnostics, with end customers supported by event-driven demand generation (LABSOLUTION, LLG Sales Convention, LAB-SUPPLY, LABCON) plus digital marketing and a newsletter. ratiolab has 11-50 employees, is a subsidiary of the Porvair Life Sciences Group, and is legally represented by Thomas Weiland.

Name

ratiolab

Legal name

Ratiolab GmbH

Website

https://ratiolab.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1975

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Ratiolab GmbH is a German specialty manufacturer of plastic laboratory consumables and liquid-handling products, serving research, medical, education and industrial labs worldwide through dealer channels, direct sales and bespoke engineering under the Porvair Life Sciences Group.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Laboratory Plastic Consumables

NAICS

Instruments and Related Products Manufacturing for Measuring, Displaying, and Controlling Industrial Process Variables (334513)

SIC

Laboratory Apparatus & Furniture (3821)

akta.pro primary industry

Liquid Handling & Laboratory Automation (Pipettes, Robots, Workstations) (HLAGAIAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

General Lab Equipment (Centrifuges, Incubators, Shakers, Ovens) (HLAGAIAC), Laboratory Consumables & Plasticware (Tips, Tubes, Plates, Filters) (HLAGAIAH)

Keywords

• Laboratory plastic consumables
• Lab liquid handling
• Cell culture plastics
• Pipette tips supplies
• Custom plastic manufacturing

Headquarters

HQ city

Dreieich

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Standardized laboratory consumables sales: One-time sale of catalog plastic lab consumables (pipette tips, serological pipettes, micro test plates, PCR plates/tubes, deep-well plates, cover films, cryo products, micro-tubes, lids, bottle-top dispensers, electronic pipetting aids) sold through dealers, direct end-customer sales, and own online store with shopping cart.
2. Custom plastic lab product development (THINK!): Project-based engineering revenue for development and serial production of customer-specific plastic laboratory products — covering development, design, tool and mold making, plastics processing, individual manufacturing, assembly, and logistics.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion4 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Ratiolab GmbH develops and manufactures standardized plastic laboratory consumables and a small range of lab instruments, organized into five categories: Pipettes & Equipment, Liquid-Handling, Lab-Ware, Life-Science and Cryo. The portfolio spans pipette tips, serological pipettes, micro test plates, PCR plates and tubes, deep-well plates, cover films, cryo accessories, electronic pipetting aids, bottle-top dispensers, multichannel pipettes and the new Clara 6-well cell culture and filter plates. Its in-house THINK! team also provides custom development and serial production of bespoke plastic lab products from design and tool/mold making through to logistics.

Product overview

ratiolab® (Ratiolab GmbH) is a German manufacturer of standardized, high-quality plastic laboratory consumables and a small set of laboratory instruments, offering a multi-category product portfolio rather than a single unified product. The portfolio is organized into five core categories: Pipettes & Equipment (under the ratiolab brand and the Slamed sub-brand, including the Accupetta electronic pipetting aid, the Dispetta serial-dispensing pipettor, the ratiopetta manual pipette, the Slamed bottle-top dispenser, the Coagulometer CC-4000 and the Thermocult Incubator), Liquid-Handling (serological pipettes, pipette tips including Crystal, Wide Bore, colorless E/G and the aeroject® filter-tip lines, plus tip refill systems, pipetting reservoirs and Pasteur-plast pipettes), Life-Science (the new Clara 6 Well 50 ml Cell Culture Plate and Clara 6 Well 30 ml Filter Plate Set, plus PCR plates and tubes, deep-well and micro test plates, cover films, microplate lids including the new condensation-barrier variant, micro-tubes, spot test plates and closures for deep-well plates), Lab-Ware (general laboratory plastic products) and Cryo (deep-freeze accessories such as floating cryo racks and 96-well PCR racks). The THINK! service complements the catalog as a custom development and manufacturing offering for individual plastic laboratory products, taking customers from design and mold-making through to production and logistics. ratiolab is part of the Porvair Life Sciences Group, alongside sister companies Porvair Sciences, JG Finneran, Kbiosystems and Seal Analytical.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Slamed: Slamed is a separate precision-pipette brand operated alongside the ratiolab portfolio, covering manual and electronic pipettes, multichannel pipettes, bottle-top dispensers and related accessories.
• THINK!

Products and services

• Clara 6 Well 50 ml Cell Culture Plate A 6-well, 50 ml-well-volume cell culture plate for prokaryotic and eukaryotic cell cultures, featuring ANSI/SLAS standard footprint, alphanumeric coding, barcode traceability, robotic-friendly dual grip points, conical well bottom for maximum liquid recovery, and sterilely individually packed delivery.
• Clara 6 Well 30 ml Filter Plate Set A 6-well filter plate set (with receiver plate) for filtration and purification of biological material up to 30 ml working volume, supporting customizable filter membrane/frit options, vacuum compatibility and ANSI/SLAS automation compatibility, suitable for MAB and plasmid preparations.
• Serological Pipettes
• Crystal Pipette Tip XL (0.1-10 µl)
• Colorless Pipette Tip "E" (1-200 µl)
• Pipette Tip "Wide Bore" (100-1,000 µl)
• aeroject® eco filter tips (Pipette Tips with Aerosol Barrier) Pipette tips with an integrated aerosol barrier to prevent cross-contamination from aerosols, addressing contamination-sensitive liquid handling workflows.
• aeroject® ultra filter tips (Pipette Tips with Aerosol Barrier)
• ratiolab® Dispetta Pipettor for Serial Dispensing
• ratiolab® Accupetta Electronic Pipetting Aid
• Slamed Bottle-Top Dispenser
• Slamed Precision Pipette
• Slamed Single Channel Pipettes L
• Slamed Fix Volume Pipettes CP
• Slamed Multichannel Pipettes ME/MT
• ratiopetta® Manual Pipette
• Thermocult Incubator
• Coagulometer CC-4000
• 96-Well Micro Test Plates (300 µl and 400 µl)
• 96-Well Micro Test Plates (~300 µl) for luminescence/fluorescence/absorbance
• Low-Profile Deep-Well Plate (96)
• Deep-Well Plates (96- and 384-well)
• Closures for Deep-Well Plates
• PCR Plates (96- and 384-well)
• Micro-Tubes
• Spot Test Plates (Tüpfelplatte)
• Lids for Micro Test Plates (Deckel für Mikrotestplatten)
• Lids for Micro Test Plates with condensation barrier Highly transparent PS microplate lid that minimizes evaporation, prevents condensation and reduces cross-contamination by providing a secure barrier against aerosol transfer between wells.
• Cover Films (Abdeckfolien) for Microplates
• THINK! Custom Plastic Lab Product Development Service

Quantifiable outcome

• Clara 6-Well 50 ml plate enables scale-up from 96-well to larger volumes while maintaining automation compatibility (ANSI/SLAS footprint)
• +3 more outcomes

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature9 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• Porvair Life Sciences Group (Porvair Sciences)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partnerratiolab is presented as part of the Porvair Life Sciences Group ("Porvair Life Sciences Group" section on the homepage) with logos of sister brands Porvair Sciences, JG Finneran, Kbiosystems and Seal Analytical. Represents the corporate parent / group relationship that gives ratiolab global reach across life-science, chromatography and analytical markets.
• JG FinnerancoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSister brand within the Porvair Life Sciences Group; logo displayed alongside Porvair Sciences, Kbiosystems and Seal Analytical on the ratiolab homepage. Group-level relationship.
• KbiosystemscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSister brand within the Porvair Life Sciences Group; logo displayed on the ratiolab homepage as part of the group's brand family.
• Seal AnalyticalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSister brand within the Porvair Life Sciences Group; logo displayed on the ratiolab homepage as part of the group's brand family.
• SPECTARISminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSpectaris logo displayed in the ratiolab website footer — ratiolab is a member of the German industry association for medical technology, optics and laboratory supply.
• Anders und Seim Neue Medien GmbHminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerWebsite conception and realization partner for ratiolab.com — Ohmstraße 20a, 63225 Langen, Germany. Listed under "Website Konzeption & Realisation" in the Impressum.
• iGEM teams (Kaiserslautern, Freiburg, Darmstadt, Münster)minorOthersSponsorship partner — ratiolab supports several iGEM university teams; in 2025 the Freiburg and Darmstadt teams achieved outstanding results at the worldwide iGEM competition.
• AIDS-Hilfe Frankfurt e.V.minorOthersAnnual participation in the "Run for More Time" charity run organized by AIDS-Hilfe Frankfurt; ratiolab team supports people affected by HIV and AIDS.
• Eine Welt e.V. (Kinderhilfswerk / children's aid organization)minorOthersCharity partner — Hamburg-based aid organization supporting children and young people in Africa, Asia, South America and Europe (projects in Mali, Nepal, Ecuador, South Africa, Rwanda, Argentina, Ukraine). ratiolab products are used daily in the field.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Sarstedt: German manufacturer of plastic laboratory and medical consumables (tubes, pipette tips, plates, serological pipettes). Direct competitor with a similar Mittelstand profile, similar ISO-certified medical-device product portfolio, and overlapping customer base in research, clinical and industrial labs across Europe.
• Greiner Bio-One: Austrian-headquartered global manufacturer of plastic laboratory consumables, cell culture products, and pre-analytical medical products. Direct peer across microplates, deep-well plates, pipette tips and cell culture plastics, with a stronger global footprint and a similar life-science/clinical customer mix.
• BRAND GMBH + CO KG: German manufacturer of liquid handling products (manual and electronic pipettes, pipette tips, dispensers) and life-science consumables. Direct competitor in the same Pipettes & Equipment and Liquid-Handling categories that ratiolab addresses under the Slamed and ratiolab brands.
• Starlab International GmbH: German-headquartered manufacturer of laboratory plastic consumables (pipette tips, tubes, PCR plates) and liquid-handling instruments. Direct peer with a comparable product mix and a focus on refill/reload systems that mirrors ratiolab's Multibox/MultiTray refill architecture.
• Carl Roth GmbH + Co. KG: German supplier of laboratory chemicals, consumables and life-science products including pipette tips, tubes and PCR plastics. Direct peer serving the same German research and academic customer base, with a strong catalog and dealer-channel presence.
• Nerbe Plus GmbH & Co. KG: Northern-German manufacturer of plastic laboratory consumables including pipette tips, reaction tubes, PCR consumables and microplates. Closely comparable Mittelstand peer with overlapping product categories and a similar sales-led motion through lab dealers in Germany and Europe.

Broad incumbents

• Corning Life Sciences: Major US-based manufacturer of cell culture plastics, microplates, PCR plastics and laboratory consumables within a diversified materials science group. A much larger global incumbent competing in the same life-science consumables categories — including the cell-culture plate segment that ratiolab's Clara line targets.
• Eppendorf SE: German-headquartered global life-science company providing premium pipettes, pipette tips, tubes, plates and consumables alongside bioreactors and instruments. A much larger incumbent competing in the same customer workflow with deeper R&D resources and global brand recognition.
• Thermo Fisher Scientific (Laboratory Products): Global life-science giant whose Laboratory Products division offers Nunc, Nalgene, Matrix and other plastic consumable brands spanning cell culture, pipette tips, tubes, plates and cryo storage. A dominant broad incumbent competing in essentially every category ratiolab addresses.

Emerging players

• Hirschmann Laborgeräte GmbH & Co. KG: German manufacturer of liquid-handling instruments and precision volumetric labware, including pipettes and bottle-top dispensers. A more focused, smaller peer with partial overlap to ratiolab's Pipettes & Equipment category, particularly around the Slamed bottle-top dispenser line.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/ratiolabgmbh
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ratiolab-gmbh

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries1 record

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 ratiolab