DIAGNOSTICS AND LIFE SCIENCE

Trusted partner for the most demanding material applications

There is no room for mistakes in health- and wellbeing procedures.
Premix has a long history of providing specialty plastics and related services to the key players in the diagnostics and life science industries.

Premix’s specialty plastics secure better healthcare all around the globe as Premix offers reliable solutions for the most demanding material needs for diagnostics and life science.

Nowadays, electrically conductive plastics are critical materials in In Vitro Diagnostics (IVD) in capacitive liquid level sensing, lab analytics, and various other medical applications.

Materials that matter — more than just plastics

 

We are the experts in creating and producing functional plastic materials. The solutions are more than just traditional plastics – they play an active role in the product or process they are integrated into. Our tailored material solutions control, for example, static electricity and enable material functionality in various applications. Our dedication to building successful partnerships is proven by the 2021 Net Promotor Score® of 70.

Premix is a widely recognized expert in polymer modification. We have broad know-how in processing methods and carbon black. The state-of-the-art facilities and change control management are fine-tuned to the needs and standards of the diagnostics industry.

We have proven our ability to be a trusted partner by securing supplies for our customers during the Covid pandemic. Our latest passion is developing sustainable material solutions to support our customers in creating environmentally friendly alternatives.

Industry reference materials set the performance standard of automated liquid handling pipette tips

Electrically conductive PRE-ELEC® compound was validated for the first liquid handling robots in the 1990s. Since then, Premix has developed material properties, production technology, and process capabilities in close cooperation with the diagnostics OEMs, liquid handling manufacturers, and medical molders.

These mass-production-friendly materials enable faster cycle times and scaling up for higher cavitation tools. When the first 128 cavity pipette tip mold was premiered by Netstal Maschinen AG at the K2016 show, PRE-ELEC® was naturally chosen as showcase demonstration material. Today, we are recognized as a trusted pioneer, trained by the high standards and tight production tolerances of the IVD industry.

In addition to pipette tips, electrically conductive plastics also secure functionality and reliability in other diagnostics areas. Conductive plastics control static electricity in technical parts of liquid handling instruments, and conductive pipette tip racks discharge static electricity during the handling of transparent, insulative pipette tips.

Sometimes, the black color's function is to prevent reflections in optical measurements, such as fluorescence detection. Typically, these applications require very consistent pigment content. In those cases, Premix’s carbon black dispersion expertise and technology enable the tailoring of black compounds with extra precise and homogenous carbon black distribution throughout the polymer matrix.

Premix can offer optimized plastic compounds for various consumables and IVD and Life Science test platforms, including pipette tips, microplates, cartridges, cuvettes, reagents, and sample containers. We are committed to finding the best possible material solution in close collaboration with our customers.

New Premix plant in North Carolina

Our new plant in North Carolina doubles our production capacity, and our plants on two continents will improve our global supply and service. The state-of-the-art plant is designed to cater to the most demanding needs in healthcare and will secure critical diagnostics material supplies in the US as of September 2025. In late 2024, the plant will already start to offer toll compounding services and storage for compounds produced in Finland.

In May 2022, the US Department of Defense awarded Premix a contract to establish a plastic compound manufacturing plant in North Carolina’s Gaston County. Premix’s work building resilient supply chains to secure global PCR testing throughout COVID-19 was rewarded. As of 2022, we have had a local team managing the plant building and supporting our US customers.

With the new plant in the US, we can offer our customers better global supply capability, mitigate risks in global supply chains, and better serve our customers in the US market.

The facility will be fully operational in late 2025. It will allow Premix’s North American customers to utilize our local production and services, ensuring shorter lead times and high reliability. The location has been chosen to best serve the growing region of advanced manufacturing in the southeastern US.

In 2024, we will offer our current customers an option for local storage for compounds produced at our factory in Finland. In early 2025, we can do toll compounding in the plant, manufacturing our electrically conductive and dissipative range of plastic compounds for a wide range of applications where static electricity creates problems. 

Premix USA plant

"We are extremely excited about this opportunity to help secure a supply of critical diagnostic materials in the United States.

Our solutions meet strict standards for quality and cost-efficiency and provide valuable benefits to our new and existing customers."

Jari-Matti Mehto, President and CEO of Premix, Inc.

Co-creation and development

Our mission is to improve the quality and standard of healthcare and medical materials. We are known as passionate and dedicated experts who develop the whole industry in partnership with our customers. Over the years, together with our customers, we have created material solutions for several applications and devices that improve the safety of people, processes, and operations.

Our desire is to join forces with our customers to innovate more sustainable material solutions for the healthcare, medicine, and pharmaceutical industries.

We also offer product development and laboratory services based on our expertise in functional plastics and carbon black know-how.

Polymer modification experts at your service

Would you like to explore how Premix can bring value to your business?