Page 5 - Shimadzu Journal vol.3 Issue1
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Insight from Customer




            report, we found evidence for indirect impact of unconventional   times on projects of mutual benefit. I am happy to say that I have had,
            drilling processes on water quality in North Texas. We are currently   and I am sure will continue to have, very productive collaborations with
            working on two manuscripts that report a survey of a larger section   Shimadzu Scientific Instruments in the United States and Shimadzu
            of North Texas, and a time-course study where samples were taken   Corporation in Japan.  I am even looking forward to future partnerships
            before, during, and after drilling activity in west Texas. We expect   with other Shimadzu subsidiaries
            that these studies will bring vast new insights into the relationship   around other parts of the world. I could not imagine a better relationship
            between modern gas and oil extraction, and its potential   to help enable my research, that of others at U.T. Arlington, and advance
            environmental impact.                              the education of our students in ways virtually impossible at other
                                                               institutions.
            Why are you interested in this research? What is the goal?
                                                               Finally, could you share any requests that you have with
                                                               respect to analytical and measuring instrument vendors?
            We are driven by the interest and desire to find new solutions to
            challenging analytical problems. We also want this effort to involve
            high impact problems. The clinical world brings significant analytical   Keep doing what you are doing. Keep innovating. And, selfishly, keep
            challenges, and it involves issues relevant to human health.    us informed about the newest releases and solutions. I am always
            Environmental analysis is not something I would have pictured our   amazed at how you are constantly releasing new technology into the
            group doing five years ago, but it has now become a major research   marketplace. Through the Shimadzu – U.T. Arlington partnership, we
            effort for us. Just like clinical work, there are real human impacts to   have remained on the cutting edge of research in analytical
            environmental issues, and the work we are doing on groundwater   chemistry, and that is a very important place for us to be, as we
            quality brings us close together with individuals and their homes.   continue to move towards Tier One research status. We have several
            The goal in that effort is to assess whether there are any deleterious   instruments that are largely unique in North America. We appreciate
            effects of current practices of unconventional oil and gas extraction.    the receptiveness that Shimadzu has had to our suggestions for new
            As this is research that very few people are pursuing, it is that much   products and improvements to existing ones.  Ultimately, not
            more important to dedicate the time and resources to it. It is   everyone needs exactly the same solution, and it is important to be
            rewarding to work in areas that can make a difference, as well as   able to work together with a vendor and partner who is willing to be
            provide optimal training for students so that they can carry the   flexible to help us achieve our goals. Thank you! I look forward to a
            banner forward.                                    rewarding and productive future in our continuing interactions.


            How are our instruments helping you?               It was significant to know what you think about us and
                                                               our collaboration. We will strive to meet your request
            We could not do any of this work without our Shimadzu instruments.    more than ever. Thank you very much.
            Not only that, the unique high performance features of many of the
            systems we use enable us to do some things that would be very
            difficult for others. I have always felt that Shimadzu was smart in the
            lines of instrumentation they develop. It is clear that you are not trying
            to fit completely in existing markets, but rather to set new markets
            with specialized instruments and solutions. For our pre-clinical and
            clinical work, we use the CoSense system coupled to highly sensitive
            triple quadrupole mass spectrometry. Only a few other manufacturers
            offer similar configurations, and thus, we can be quite unique in the
            methods that we develop; those methods also provide superior
            performance. For the groundwater work, we use a very diverse group
            of instruments. The fact that Shimadzu provides so many different
            choices gives us some flexibility to ensure that we can get the job
            done right and see the things we need to see in order to make reliable
            conclusions.


            What are Shimadzu’s strengths compared to other
            vendors (not limited to the instruments)?


            I have always said that Shimadzu’s greatest strength is its people and
            service. I have been in the role of a customer for Shimadzu and for
            many other companies, and I have always found that Shimadzu
            service has been the most helpful and reliable. I like the idea that I do
            not necessarily have to have a service person on site to get help with a
            problem. Oftentimes, a phone call yields a simple fix that we can
            quickly and inexpensively implement. Now that we are part of a larger
            partnership, we enjoy a much closer interaction with Shimadzu. This
            means that our students have regular contact with engineers,
            applications chemists, and sales/marketing personnel to get more out
            of their education. In a similar fashion, we get to work together many


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