Wirsam celebrates 50 years of distinction!

The Wirsam family has run the business since its inception 50 years ago. From left to right: Vicky and Alex Wagner with Tufty, Peter, Matthias and Michael Wirsam

When Peter Wirsam established Wirsam in 1968 (with five cents in his pocket), little did he know he was building one of the most respected lab equipment suppliers in the country. As his company celebrated its 50th birthday on Friday 23 November, Peter looked back on the journey that brought the company to a position of strength where it can deliver a reliable and professional service to both start-up entrepreneurs and the largest listed companies across all industries.

Reflecting on his company’s journey, Peter expressed gratitude to those who had made it all possible. “I thank everyone who has taken this road with us,” Peter said. “The company is a success because of the relationships we built,” he said, “I had so many good friends as customers.”

Throughout its history, Wirsam has entrenched itself as one of the continent’s leading suppliers of laboratory instrumentation. The company, which contains microscopy, analytical, material testing, petrochemical sample prep, analytical x-ray and general laboratory instrumentation divisions, also provides fully equipped workshops to the local research community.

The celebrations were held in Wirsam’s newly renovated offices in Richmond, Johannesburg

“We provide complete sales and service capabilities countrywide,” said Wirsam director, Vicky Wagner. Support services are available from the company’s offices in Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban, PortElizabeth or Vanderbijlpark. This is part of Wirsam’s effort to provide the discipline and stability of a large corporation, combined with the personal touch and responsiveness of a small enterprise.

Wirsam applies an SABS ISO 9001:2000 quality control system to ensure its products meet the highest possible standards. “We realise that commitment to quality, attention to detail and dedication to our customers and principals is the best way for Wirsam to be leaders in our field and the path to sustained growth and commercial success.” Wirsam has attained a Level 7 Contributor status in the field of broad-based black economic empowerment, with a certified score of 70.85%.

Wirsam’s dedicated staff specialise in meeting analytical, microscopy, material testing, sample prep, x-ray and general instrumentation needs.