Eppendorf SE develops, manufactures, and distributes instruments and equipment for use in life-science research laboratories. The firm specializes in the areas of liquid, cell, and sample handling. Its products include pipettes, dispensers, centrifuges, bioreactor systems, cell culture and imaging consumables, centrifugation instruments, freezers, shakers, temperature control and mixing devices, as well as laboratory consumables. The company was founded by Heinrich Netheler and Hans Hinz in 1945 and is headquartered in Hamburg, Germany.