One of South Africa’s leading laboratory and test instrument supply companies, Advanced Laboratory Solutions (ALS), began its 25-year-long journey on the 1st September 1997 when Alex Beccaro, Dave Perrett and Iain Ramsay formed a partnership to offer solutions for equipment, knowledge, training and other services across a wide spectrum of industries. The three shareholders shared a common story, a background in studying electrical and mechanical engineering and later entering the laboratory supply industry. Alex specialised in materialographic sample preparation, Dave in rheology and Iain in mechanical testing.

With the late Hans Tesar of Premier Technologies as their mentor, Alex, Dave and Iain started ALS 25 years ago and have pushed their company from humble beginnings to one of the most successful laboratory suppliers in the South African market.

“Starting a business in an early democracy and a country that was still finding itself was not easy. Despite the economic turmoil that followed and affected the economy, ALS has always managed to pull through it all,” said Dave Perrett, who also has the responsibility of being the Managing Director of the company.

From coating thickness, materialographic sample preparation, materials testing, material characterisation, microscopy, spectroscopy to surface analysis, Advanced Laboratory Solutions staff can offer you a testing solution

“The first product that ALS promoted was Struers, one of the world’s leading materialographic sample preparation brands providing equipment for materialography preparation and inspection. The Struers product range includes cut-off wheels, mounting resin, embedding resin, magnetic discs, grinding discs, polishing discs, md cloth, diamond suspension, abrasives, DP paste and sticks, micro-hardness testing, hardness tester, lab management software, specimen holders, clamps, grinding, polishing and cutting machines, epoxy, monocrystalline, polycrystalline, electrolyte and electrolytical polishing,” explained Perrett.

“As part of our product and manufacturer representation strategy, ALS focused on a limited range of product brands and ensured that these were amongst the top three in the world. It was important for the shareholders that growth was organic and veered away from becoming a one-stop lab shop.
Appreciating this focused strategy, quality suppliers who trusted ALS’s directors and shareholders to grow their brands in the South African market approached the company,” continued Perrett.

With ALS celebrating its 25-year milestone in the laboratory supply business there have been some new and innovative changes that will allow ALS to grow even more into the future, say the shareholders.

The company focusses on providing cost-effective testing solutions for sample preparation, mechanical testing, rheology, thermal analysis, microscopy, spectroscopy and surface science

2022 has seen the company being restructured and split into two companies, each focusing on different areas of the laboratory business. ALS will now focus on general laboratory business while the newly established company, Angstrom Scientific, will focus on high-end microscopy products such as Jeol, Gatan-Ametek, Oxford-WITec, Quorum Technologies, and Agar Scientific.

Providing both theoretical and practical training has always been at the centre of the company’s core values, evidenced by the renovations of the ALS/Angstrom demonstration facilities. These modern facilities, in conjunction with the seminar facilities, will give the company the flexibility to do on-premise or web-based demonstrations/seminars.

The most significant project that ALS has been involved in was delivering the first double-corrected high-resolution Jeol ARM200F in Africa and outside Japan, to Nelson Mandela University in 2010. For over 10 years, ALS continues to support this prestigious microscope.

ALS, as a leading supplier of laboratory and test instrumentation in Southern Africa, have provided many testing solutions to manufacturing and research organisations in disciplines covering aerospace, automotive, metallurgy, polymers, coatings, textiles, food, cosmetics, mineralogy, paper, pharmaceutical, medical, biotechnology, nanotechnology and life science, to name but a few.

The company focusses on providing cost-effective testing solutions for sample preparation, mechanical testing, rheology, thermal analysis, microscopy, spectroscopy and surface science.

“Advanced Laboratory Solutions would like to thank our loyal customers that have stood by us through the years and continue to do so.”

ALS, as a leading supplier of laboratory and test instrumentation in Southern Africa, have provided many testing solutions to manufacturing and research organisations in disciplines covering aerospace, automotive, metallurgy, polymers, coatings, textiles, food, cosmetics, mineralogy, paper, pharmaceutical, medical, biotechnology, nanotechnology and life science, to name but a few

“We would also like to take this opportunity to thank our product principals for their unending technical and application support. We have achieved a strong and sustainable business together,” said Perrett.

ALS has various business units within the company, each headed by a Product Manager focussed on its field of expertise. Find new knowledge and inspiration by taking part in the training courses and webinars that the company offers. Gain valuable insights into the latest applications and preparation methods via knowledge sharing or learn new techniques with the company’s application experts.

With Randburg, Gauteng being the Head Office, ALS has three branches – Durban, Port Elizabeth and Cape Town. Each branch office is staffed with sales and technical support personnel.

For further details contact Advanced Laboratory Solutions on TEL: 011 462 1363 or visit www.advancedlab.co.za