Anniversary celebrations: SONOTEC subsidiary successful in the US market for over 10 years

Management SONOTEC US
Ten years ago, the Halle-based ultrasonic specialist SONOTEC GmbH established its own sales office in the USA under the leadership of Christopher Portelli (center; left and right the three SONOTEC managing directors Michael Münch, Manuela Münch, and Hans-Joachim Münch).

The team around Christopher Portelli, Managing Director of the American subsidiary of SONOTEC, has built up a remarkable customer base in the biotechnology and medical technology industries, as well as an large distributor network in the field of preventive maintenance in recent years. Special proximity to the customer characterizes the range of services, which has also been expanded annually. In the Long Island district of New York, 15 employees are responsible for sales, product and project management, customer service and support, warehousing, as well as calibration services for the American continent in the newly renovated and over 4,000 square meter office.

"Many well-known companies are now our customers and convinced of our products. With our broad range of services, we can support our globally operating customers even better," concludes Christopher Portelli. The trained engineer has years of experience in the medical technology sector. In addition to his extensive market knowledge, the company also benefits from his professional qualifications.

The focus of the US business is on medical technology, particularly in the area of non-invasive air bubble detection and flow measurement. After a long phase in which SONOTEC demonstrated particular perseverance, this area began to grow exceptionally strongly in 2016. "For us as a manufacturer of components and parts for medical devices, a presence in the USA is of great strategic importance," Michael Münch, Managing Director of SONOTEC GmbH, explains. He looks also back on the entry into the American biotechnology market, which has been increasingly defined by single-use technologies for years, as a "booster of the success story that also had an impact on Europe and, not least, worldwide."

”We have learned from the intercultural challenges, become familiar with each other and grown together as a company. By expanding into the USA, we have also gained a better understanding of the global markets,” summarizes Melanie Schmidt, Head of R&D and Sales at SONOTEC GmbH, who played a key role in the founding of the subsidiary in 2013 and the business development in the field of biotechnology.

The United States are not only considered the largest global consumer market but also the largest manufacturer of medical technology and is known as the toughest biotech market in the world. “In the land of unlimited possibilities, markets and products develop much faster due to an open entrepreneurial spirit and a hands-on mentality. The growth potential is still very high,” adds Melanie Schmidt.

In the American market, SONOTEC recorded a growth of 50 percent last year, always keeping the claim as an innovation driver in mind, and has ambitious goals for the coming years. The aim is to reflect the entire product range, from preventive maintenance to non-destructive testing to customer-specific sensors, even more strongly in the USA. In addition to another office at the West Coast, the German ultrasound specialist from Halle (Saale) sees great growth opportunities in the worldwide semiconductor industry business, of which Americans are also a part.