Shodex HPLC columns, by Resonac Europe GmbH

What Shodex HPLC columns, by Resonac Europe GmbH does

Shodex is the specialist brand for polymer-based High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) columns, operated commercially in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa through Resonac Europe GmbH, a private German entity (HRB 34372, Wiesbaden) that is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Japan's Resonac Corporation (formerly Showa Denko). The business was founded in 1974 and celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2024. Shodex positions itself exclusively around polymer stationary phases (styrene divinylbenzene copolymers and polyhydroxymethacrylate), differentiating from silica-based column vendors through broad pH stability (for example pH 2-14 on UB series) and chemical resistance, while covering eight separation techniques: Reversed Phase, HILIC, SUGAR/ligand exchange, Organic Acid/ion exclusion, Ion Chromatography, Organic GPC (size exclusion in THF/DMF), Aqueous SEC/GFC for proteins and biopolymers, Ion Exchange, and Chiral.

The product portfolio comprises 271 items spanning analytical and preparative columns plus SEC/GPC calibration standards (Pullulan, Polystyrene, PMMA). Notable technical differentiators include monodisperse-particle GPC HK-400 series columns delivering approximately one-sixth the analysis time and solvent consumption of conventional columns without requiring UHPLC instrumentation, multi-pore gel linear GPC LF columns with inflection-point-free calibration curves, and hydrophilic-polymer-coated silica PROTEIN KW columns designed for high protein recovery in aqueous SEC. All polymer stationary phases are manufactured and packed in Japan under ISO 9001:2015, and European operations (scientific-technical support and logistics) are also ISO 9001:2015 certified. Columns are validated against multiple USP pharmacopoeia methods (L20, L21, L25, L33, L37, L38, L39, L59, L89), supporting pharmaceutical quality-control use cases.

Revenue is generated through one-time purchase of HPLC columns and accessories, priced at unit level (typical analytical columns €1,804-€2,434, guard columns €605-€670, calibration standard kits €2,549-€3,229, ex-VAT). The go-to-market is sales-led and exclusively indirect via a network of authorized laboratory equipment distributors in EMEA, including Altmann (analytics-shop.com), MZ Analysentechnik, and Wagner & Munz, with European stock held in Germany to support fulfillment. Customer segments span pharmaceutical, food, environmental, life sciences/biotech, synthetic materials/polymers, and academic/public institutions, with pharmaceutical quality control identified as the primary vertical. The European entity runs with a small team (1-10 visible employees) and relocated headquarters from Munich to Wiesbaden in June 2026 under Managing Director Hiroki Sugano.

Name

Shodex HPLC columns, by Resonac Europe GmbH

Legal name

Resonac Europe GmbH

Website

https://shodex.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1974

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Shodex, the European arm of Japan's Resonac Corporation, sells 271 polymer-based HPLC columns across eight separation techniques to laboratories and research institutions, distributed across EMEA via authorized laboratory equipment distributors with pharmaceutical quality control as the primary vertical.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Analytical Chromatography Columns

NAICS

Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing (334516)

SIC

Laboratory Analytical Instruments (3826)

akta.pro primary industry

Analytical Instruments & Chromatography Systems (HLAGAIAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

High-Performance & Specialty Polymers (PPS, LCP, PI/PAI, PAEK) (IMAEANAI)

Keywords

• Polymer HPLC columns
• Size exclusion chromatography
• Gel permeation chromatography
• Ion chromatography columns
• Analytical laboratory columns

Headquarters

HQ city

München, Bayern

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Revenue model

1. HPLC column sales: One-time purchase of chromatography columns for analytical and preparative laboratory applications. Columns are sold directly and through distributor network across Europe, Middle East, and Africa.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Shodex designs, manufactures, and distributes polymer-based HPLC columns used by laboratories to separate and analyze complex mixtures such as proteins, polymers, saccharides, organic acids, ions, and pharmaceuticals. The portfolio covers 8 separation techniques (Reversed Phase, HILIC, Ligand Exchange, Ion Exclusion, Ion Chromatography, SEC/GPC, Ion Exchange, and Chiral) across 271 products, with columns manufactured in Japan by Resonac Corporation and distributed through authorized laboratory equipment distributors across Europe, Middle East, and Africa.

Product overview

Shodex is a specialist for polymer-based HPLC columns, offering a comprehensive portfolio of 271 products across 8 separation techniques. The product line includes: GPC KF-800 (THF), GPC KD-800 (DMF), and GPC HK-400 ultra-rapid columns for organic size exclusion chromatography; GPC LF linear columns with multi-pore gel technology; PROTEIN KW/LW silica-based and OHpak SB-800 polymer-based aqueous SEC columns for protein and biomolecule analysis; UB Series for bio-nanoproduct analysis; SUGAR ligand exchange columns for carbohydrate analysis; HILICpak columns for polar compounds; ion exchange columns; chiral ORpak columns; and reversed phase columns. The company also provides calibration standards (Pullulan, Polystyrene, PMMA) for SEC/GPC calibration. All columns are manufactured by Resonac (formerly Showa Denko) in Japan since 1974, with European headquarters and stock in Germany serving Europe, Middle East, and Africa through a network of official distributors.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Shodex: SHODEX is the specialist brand for polymer-based HPLC columns. Products help researchers in pharmaceutical, food, synthetic materials, environmental, biotechnological and life sciences sectors.

Quantifiable outcome

• Analysis time reduced to one-sixth of conventional column performance using GPC HK-400 ultra-rapid series
• +1 more outcomes

Segments6 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• Altmann (analytics-shop.com)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOfficial Shodex distributor for Germany and other European countries. Laboratory equipment supplier offering Shodex HPLC columns and calibration standards to customers.
• MZ AnalysentechnikcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOfficial Shodex distributor for Germany. Laboratory equipment supplier offering Shodex products to customers in their service territory.
• Wagner & MunzcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOfficial Shodex distributor for Germany. Laboratory equipment supplier offering Shodex HPLC columns and calibration standards.
• Techlab GmbHsupportingImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerTrusted service partner for repairs, maintenance, and spare parts for discontinued Shodex detectors (RI-500 series, RI-100 series, RI-71, CD-200). Located in Braunschweig, Germany.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• YMC Co., Ltd. YMC is a Japanese HPLC column specialist offering reversed-phase, ion exchange, and biomolecule columns similar to Shodex. Both companies serve global pharma and biotech customers with comparable product portfolios from a Japanese manufacturing base.
• Bio-Rad Laboratories: Bio-Rad's chromatography portfolio includes size-exclusion and ion-exchange columns used in protein and biomolecule analysis, overlapping directly with Shodex's PROTEIN, OHpak, and ion-exchange offerings. Bio-Rad's life science research customer base mirrors Shodex's biotech and academic segments.
• Phenomenex: Phenomenex (now part of Danaher) is a specialist HPLC column manufacturer with broad coverage across reversed-phase, HILIC, ion exchange, and SEC modes. It directly competes with Shodex in pharma, food, and environmental analytical laboratories globally.
• Tosoh Bioscience: Tosoh's TSKgel line is the closest direct competitor to Shodex, offering polymer-based SEC/GPC and ion-exchange columns for protein, polymer, and biomolecule analysis. Both companies focus exclusively on polymer stationary phases with deep applications in biopharma and polymer characterization.

Broad incumbents

• Cytiva: Cytiva (formerly GE Healthcare Life Sciences) supplies chromatography columns including Sephadex and Superdex for protein and biomolecule purification, overlapping with Shodex's PROTEIN KW and OHpak aqueous SEC lines in biotech and biopharma.
• Waters Corporation: Waters is the global HPLC market leader, offering columns (e.g., XBridge, ACQUITY) alongside instruments and software. While Waters' portfolio is broader and silica-based, it competes with Shodex in pharma QC and SEC applications.
• Thermo Fisher Scientific: Thermo Fisher offers HPLC columns, ion chromatography systems, and Dionex Chromeleon CDS that integrates with Shodex detectors. Its broad chromatography portfolio overlaps with Shodex across pharma, food, and environmental testing.
• Agilent Technologies: Agilent provides HPLC columns, instruments (InfinityLab), and OpenLab CDS software that integrates with Shodex's RI detector drivers. Agilent's broad column portfolio (ZORBAX, InfinityLab) competes across most of Shodex's separation techniques.
• Shimadzu Corporation: Shimadzu is a major Japanese analytical instrument maker offering HPLC systems and Shim-pack columns across separation modes. It competes with Shodex in pharma and food analytical laboratories globally.
• Merck KGaA (MilliporeSigma): MilliporeSigma offers a broad chromatography portfolio including HPLC and SEC products for analytical and preparative applications. It competes with Shodex in pharma, academic, and life science research markets across EMEA.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/shodex-resonac-europe-gmbh

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Shodex HPLC columns, by Resonac Europe GmbH