Perten opens process NIR Center of Excellence to accelerate food processing innovation
Perten, a PerkinElmer company and long‑standing leader in analytical solutions for food quality control, has unveiled its new Process NIR Center of Excellence in Stockholm, Sweden — an initiative designed to help food manufacturers translate real‑time analytical insight into measurable operational gains.
Positioned as a collaborative hub, the Center brings customers, applications, and live process demonstrations together under one roof. The aim is to close the gap between analytical science and day‑to‑day production challenges, enabling manufacturers to move more quickly from data to decisions while reducing risk across their operations.
The launch comes at a time when producers throughout the food value chain face mounting pressure to improve efficiency, cut waste, and meet increasingly stringent quality expectations. While process near‑infrared (NIR) technology has become a proven tool for real‑time measurement and control, adoption accelerates when manufacturers can directly observe how analytical performance translates into tighter process control, more consistent product quality, and stronger margins. Perten’s new facility is designed to provide exactly that clarity.
Inside the Center, customers can interact with Perten’s benchtop, in‑line, and on‑line NIR analysers in realistic production scenarios using real samples. These demonstrations show how continuous measurement supports faster responses to variability, more confident automation, and a shift away from traditional lab‑only testing toward future‑proof, real‑time monitoring strategies. The environment also gives customers the opportunity to work directly with Perten specialists to refine applications, troubleshoot challenges, and co‑develop solutions tailored to their processes.
“The Stockholm Process NIR Center of Excellence marks an important step in our journey to help customers transform how food is produced,” said Paul Morrison, managing director of Perten. “By enabling smarter process control, process NIR can support reduced waste, improved margins, and lower energy consumption. Most importantly, this center gives us a place to collaborate directly with customers, exchange ideas, and co-develop solutions that deliver measurable value.”
The Center strengthens Perten’s global technical support network and builds on the company’s extensive library of validated calibrations across markets including grains and cereals, feed, dairy, snack foods, sugar, processed meats, ethanol, and edible oils. This foundation allows customers to deploy process NIR more quickly and with reduced implementation risk.
“By bringing expertise into a shared, physical space, the Process NIR Center of Excellence reinforces Perten’s leadership in process analytical technology and is a perfect illustration of PerkinElmer’s approach of co‑innovating with customers,” said Dirk Bontridder, CEO of PerkinElmer. “The facility is purpose‑built to foster long‑term partnerships through structured, hands‑on engagement, ranging from application‑specific demonstrations and expert consultations to training programs, customer showcases, and immersive workshops. Together, these experiences create a collaborative environment where ideas turn into innovation, helping customers move more quickly and confidently from analytical potential to real operational impact.”
With its new Center of Excellence, Perten is positioning process NIR as a catalyst for smarter, more sustainable, and more resilient food production — an increasingly critical priority for manufacturers navigating today’s competitive and resource‑constrained landscape.
