Celebrating 75 Years in Scientific and Medical Equipment Manufacturing

LTE Scientific, one of the UK’s longest established and highly respected scientific and medical equipment manufacturers, is celebrating 75 years of industry service in 2022. Founded in 1947 as Laboratory Thermal Equipment Ltd, the company produced a range of laboratory ovens, incubators and water baths.  Many scientists might still remember the cream, round cornered ovens and incubators, a common sight in many laboratories and a number of which are still working today.

During the 50’s and 60’s the company developed and produced the MAFF biological safety cabinet, specialist pharmaceutical sterilizing ovens and baby incubators, before becoming part of the Baird and Tatlock Group (B&T) which, comprising of many different  equipment manufacturers during the 60s to the 80’s,  served all areas of the life science markets. It was as part of the B&T group, during the early 70s, that LTE expanded into the manufacture of laboratory autoclaves, as well as the AF range of Karl Fisher titrators.

In 1987 when the Baird and Tatlock Group was disbanded, the company was bought by Harvard Bioscience and for a few years was known as Harvard/LTE; 5 years later in 1992, it returned to private ownership and became known as LTE Scientific Ltd. Since that time, it has continued to develop its product ranges, specialising in its core areas of steam sterilisation, infection prevention, thermal processing equipment and stability test chambers/rooms.

Remaining faithful to its origins, LTE still manufactures a wide range of ovens, incubators and drying cabinets and with its flagship Touchclave range launched in 2004, has established itself as a leading international laboratory autoclave and medical steriliser manufacturer. During 2007, the company diversified further with a move into the endoscopy sector. Its range of Scope-Store endoscope drying and storage cabinets are said to be able to maintain an endoscope’s post-processing conditions for up to 30 days.

With its many years of experience the company can provide modified products from its core range, bespoke solutions particularly important with environmentally controlled stability testing rooms, often requiring tailoring for each individual installation. LTE has also earned a strong reputation in the market for its after-sales service centre, employing 14 engineers nationwide for service and maintenance visits and validation testing across its entire product range, as well as for other major brands available in the UK.

Over the years LTE has seen continuous growth and for the future has exciting plans in place, including new product development, staff growth and a keen focus on providing reliable and efficient products and after-sales care in the sterilisation, infection prevention and thermal processing sectors of the life science and medical industries.

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