PerkinElmer is a leading, global provider of end-to-end solutions that help scientists, researchers and clinicians to better diagnose diseases and discover new and more personalized drugs. With an 85-year legacy of advancing science, the company has more than 14,000 employees working closely with commercial, government, academic and healthcare customers to deliver reagents, assays, instruments, automation and informatics.

PerkinElmer has four key market segments: Diagnostics, Life Sciences, Food and Applied Markets. The company has operations around the world – with Finland as one trusted stronghold of consistent innovation.

Turku provides key R&D edge

General Manager Petra Furu from PerkinElmer’s Reproductive Health Business Unit – located in Turku, Finland – explains that the Finnish division provides in-vitro diagnostics products and research products for various areas, with main focus on medical research and clinical diagnostics.

“Our Turku site is one of the largest research and manufacturing sites at Perkin Elmer. We produce and deliver in-vitro diagnostics and research products for our end customers, including instruments, reagents, kits and informatic solutions,” says Furu.

“The key focus in Turku is on reproductive health business products, with prenatal, maternal fetal health and newborn screening products.”

Building on tradition

According to Furu, the reason why PerkinElmer has a site in Finland is, in fact, quite natural. The Turku operation, formerly known as Wallac Oy, was founded in 1950 by Jorma Wallasvaara. Over the decades, the company accumulated a lot of invaluable expertise that was recognized throughout the industry. As a consequence, twenty years ago Wallac became a part of PerkinElmer.

“Our products, capabilities and skillsets are legacy of that business started by Jorma Wallasvaara back in the 50’s.”

Today, the company has 580 employees in Finland. In fact, PerkinElmer is one of the largest employers in the Turku region and one of the biggest corporate taxpayers in the entire country, too.

Academic excellence

Petra Furu says that PerkinElmer feels right at home in Turku and in Finland.

“The Turku site has very strong research and development. We have, for example, excellent collaboration with the University of Turku and other universities,” she praises the local R&D ecosystem.

Thanks to the universities, there’s also plenty of young brain power available. “We get good skillsets from young people who come to work for us when they graduate,” Furu says. With a quality work force, you can make more complicated systems and medical devices that require high skillsets.

Energize the ecosystem

Strong research collaboration extends to Business Finland which has funded the company’s R&D pursuits, while encouraging joint projects with smaller companies in the region. Furu is very pleased with the status quo:

“It’s clearly a benefit to be positioned in Finland.”

Calling all innovators!

According to Furu, Finland brings many great benefits to a company, especially if that company wants to focus on innovation and highly sophisticated products. She points out that Finland has that strong, deep R&D foundation that is needed in the industry – and the local research community is always eager to contribute.

“Furthermore, the support from the government is considerable, as well.”

PerkinElmer Fast Facts

• In 2021, 140 million PerkinElmer tests were used to screen babies in 106 countries for various disorders – saving the lives of around 70 babies each day on average.
• To date, more than 735 million babies have been tested for life-threatening diseases using PerkinElmer’s newborn screening tools.
• 47 out of the top 50 of the world’s leading pharmaceutical companies use PerkinElmer’s discovery solutions and services to find novel therapeutics to combat diseases and viruses.