On September 16 and 17, 2026, the Mülheim Water Analysis Seminar took place in Mülheim an der Ruhr—the industry’s premier professional gathering in Germany. We look back on two jam-packed, extremely informative, and thoroughly exciting days dedicated to water analysis. The Mülheim Water Analysis Seminar not only demonstrated how important—and at the same time, challenging—digitalization is in the laboratory, but also rightly placed current focal topics, such as toxicity, SHAPTH, and PFAS, at the center of the intensive technical discussions.
Both the conversations at our booth and the discussions during our two workshops once again highlighted what is currently on the minds of users in analytical laboratories:
1️⃣ SHAPTH and XWasser are coming. Exactly how and when is currently a source of uncertainty. Our SAMPLES lab management system is already ready for XWasser. In addition, the new issue of LABO features an editorial article by Isabell Hilger has been published in the latest issue of LABO, which examines this topic in detail.
2️⃣ The issue of flexibility and adaptability is becoming increasingly important—along with the question of how to efficiently migrate legacy data when switching to a new LIMS. The relevance of easily configurable systems such as SAMPLES will increase significantly as requirements grow and associated changes take place.
3️⃣ Modern interface standards and the integration of laboratory instruments into the LIMS are additional challenges facing many lab teams, and they are becoming an increasingly important focus. Here, using an exemplary laboratory process right on site—featuring a barcode printer and scanner, an integrated Quintix® Pro laboratory balance from Sartorius, and a spectrophotometer from Macherey-Nagel—we were able to demonstrate just how reliable and effective laboratory work can be with SAMPLES.
4️⃣ For water analysis labs in particular, field sampling is crucial—it must be clearly planned, reliably documented, and seamlessly traceable all the way to the final report. That’s why our sampling app drew a lot of attention and earned plenty of nods of approval.
5️⃣ And MWAS 2026 proved it once again: For most users, direct interaction is indispensable—from face-to-face engagement to the opportunity to see firsthand how their own processes and requirements can be implemented on-site. That’s why we’d like to highlight our next roadshow stop: Lab Supply Freiburg on October 21. We look forward to seeing you there!
Of particular importance are the topics surrounding SHAPTH and the XWasser standard. In connection with this, we published an editorial article in LABO in conjunction with the event, which introduces the new nationwide standard and highlights possible courses of action for laboratories. You can find the article starting on page 32 in the September issue as well as in the corresponding ePaper: https://epaper.labo.de/frontend/mvc/catalog/by-name/LAB?catalogName=LAB2603D
We’ve already adapted SAMPLES for the XWasser standard! You can find more information on this in the “Drinking Water Analysis” section.