Perten opens Process NIR Center of Excellence supporting food processing innovation

Perten, a PerkinElmer company specializing in analytical solutions for food quality control, has opened a new Process NIR Center of Excellence at its headquarters in Stockholm, Sweden. The new center has been created as a collaborative environment, inviting customers and Perten experts to work together to accelerate the practical application of process near-infrared (NIR) technology.

Across the food value chain, manufacturers are under pressure to improve efficiency, reduce waste, and meet increasingly demanding quality goals. While process NIR technology offers powerful real-time insight, adoption levels increase significantly when customers are able to clearly link analytical performance to real-world process outcomes. The Stockholm Center of Excellence is designed to address these challenges while helping customers achieve their long-term goals.

"By enabling smarter process control, process NIR can support reduced waste, improved margins, and lower energy consumption," said Paul Morrison, Managing Director, Perten ( on left), here seen with Damien Séroux, SVP, Food Solutions

At the facility, customers experience live demonstrations of Perten’s benchtop, in-line, and on-line NIR analyzers using real samples and processes, illustrating how continuous measurement enables tighter control, faster responses to variability, and confident automation. The Center of Excellence underscores Perten’s commitment to accelerating customer science by combining advanced instrumentation with deep expertise and hands-on collaboration to support the shift from traditional lab testing to future‑proof, real-time process monitoring. 

“The Stockholm Process NIR Center of Excellence marks an important step in our journey to help customers transform how food is produced,” said Paul Morrison, Managing Director of Perten. “By enabling smarter process control, process NIR can support reduced waste, improved margins, and lower energy consumption. Most importantly, this center gives us a place to collaborate directly with customers, exchange ideas, and co-develop solutions that deliver measurable value.”

The facility complements Perten’s global network of technical support and application development resources. Perten maintains an extensive library of validated calibrations supporting markets such as grains and cereals, feed production, dairy processing, snack foods, sugar refinement, processed meats, ethanol production, edible oils, and more, enabling faster deployment and reduced implementation risk for customers worldwide.

“By bringing expertise into a shared, physical space, the Process NIR Center of Excellence reinforces Perten’s leadership in process analytical technology and is a perfect illustration of PerkinElmer’s approach of co-innovating with customers,” said Dirk Bontridder, CEO of PerkinElmer. “The facility is purpose‑built to foster long‑term partnerships through structured, hands‑on engagement, ranging from application‑specific demonstrations and expert consultations to training programs, customer showcases, and immersive workshops. Together, these experiences create a collaborative environment where ideas turn into innovation, helping customers move more quickly and confidently from analytical potential to real operational impact.”