History
In 1978 Hanna Instruments was founded in Padova, Italy by Oscar and Anna Nardo. Since then, Hanna Instruments has grown to be a worldwide leader in the development of electro-analytical instrumentation. The development of novel instrumentation for customers that would not have normally used instrumentation is what has led to the success of the company.
In the 80’s the company had a mission to provide a pH meter that was affordable, accurate and easy to use. The result was the pHep (pH electronic paper). This meter used an integrated circuit to measure the voltage response of a pH electrode packaged into a pocket-sized meter. The calibration of the meter was performed manually and the price was less than $50.00. Having a simple operation and very affordable price point brought the advantages of an electro-analytical measurement of pH to the masses. Whether it be a farmer looking to measure the pH of soil or the printing press operator that needs to measure the pH of a fountain solution, Hanna Instruments provided the user with an accurate electronic alternative to litmus paper and chemical indicators.
Hanna Instruments has a history of developing innovative products that make analytical measurements easier to perform at an affordable price. Many innovations introduced by Hanna are now the norm for the instrumentation industry. Today, Hanna continues to set benchmarks for quality, innovative instrumentation.
Hanna Instruments is currently headed by Martino Nardo, son of Oscar and Anna Nardo. Under the direction of Martino Nardo, Hanna Instruments® continues to develop innovative and unique products. The most recent innovations include both the thinnest multiparameter meter in the market and pH sensors that incorporate Bluetooth Smart technology. edge® pH/EC/DO meter was launched in 2014 and is only 0.5” thick. edge uses digital sensors with a 3.5mm connector and to change from one parameter to the next all the user has to do is unplug and plug in a different sensor. Also in 2014, the HALO® pH electrode was released. This electrode is the first Bluetooth pH/temperature electrode. The HALO transmitted measurement data wirelessly to an ipad that was running the Hanna Lab App. In 2015, edge blu was released and it brought Bluetooth connectivity to a pH meter. Now the HALO can be used with a tablet style computer or a traditional pH meter. The HALO line of pH electrodes continues to be expanded to accommodate the diversity of applications. These Bluetooth enabled sensors are setting a new standard and it is safe to say that they will become commonplace in the future.
Being a leader in innovation is only part of our story. We are not only an instrumentation designer but also a vertically integrated manufacturer. From an original idea for a product to the finished good we are in control of the entire process. We employ our own engineers that design the circuits and program the firmware for the meters. We use surface mounted technology machines (SMT) to populate the circuit boards, injection molding machines to make the meter cases and other plastics, chemical manufacturing for solutions and reagents, glass blowers for the manufacture of pH and ORP electrodes, and even the printing of the packaging materials. Everything is done in-house. This ensures a high quality product while reducing the cost by not outsourcing to third parties. Even more importantly, it allows for flexibility to produce short runs of products. Meaning that if the market demand for a particular product is very limited, we will still produce it because we know that there is a customer that requires a unique solution and not a general one size fits all type of product.
Philosophy
The philosophy of the Nardo family has always been to supply customers around the world with practical, cost-effective solutions for their testing needs with world class service and support. This is the basis for the winning philosophy strongly embedded in Hanna.
For over four decades Hanna has prided itself in being an innovator of analytical instrumentation.
In 1984 Hanna developed the world’s first microprocessor-based hand-held portable pH meter (HI8424) and our innovation continues to this day.
Hanna revolutionized the world of pH testing when it introduced the pHep® (pH Electronic Paper) pH tester in 1986. Millions of people were given the opportunity to test pH simply, accurately and affordably.
When Hanna introduced the world’s first single parameter series of automatic titrators dedicated to food analysis in 2005, thousands of users from around the world were put in the position to improve the quality of their product by performing their own in-house analytical tests.
The same driving philosophy that has been a Hanna trademark for over four decades continues to this day.