Bioreactor, automation and sampling expertise from Berlin
bbi-biotech develops and supplies configurable bioprocess equipment for customers who need more than a catalogue system – from laboratory bioreactors and xCUBIO automation to patented bioPROBE sampling, retrofit projects and production-oriented solutions.
Premium bioreactors from 250ml to 10,000l
Delivered, installed & serviced worldwide
Unique and patented automated sampling
Retrofit for existing bioreactors
Founded in Berlin in 2009, bbi-biotech combines bioreactor heritage, modern automation, process-oriented engineering and direct technical support for international customers.
A bioprocess equipment company built around real applications
bbi-biotech GmbH is a Berlin-based company specializing in bioreactors, fermenters, automation, sampling and lifecycle support for bioprocess applications.
When the process matters
More than a standard catalogue choice
Customers come to bbi-biotech when vessel configuration, automation, sampling, gas supply, documentation, service access or retrofit requirements cannot be solved by a simple standard catalogue system.
Configured around your application
Technical discussion before system definition
bbi-biotech combines technical discussion, engineering experience and configurable system concepts to help customers define equipment around their actual application – not the other way around.
From lab to production
A technical partner for controlled scale-up
From early laboratory development to pilot-scale systems, production-oriented stainless-steel projects and modernization of existing bioreactors, bbi-biotech supports customers who need a serious technical partner.
We configure bioprocess equipment around the process – not around a fixed catalogue package.
From laboratory systems to production-oriented bioprocess projects
From benchtop systems to retrofit, production systems and automated sampling, these solution areas define what bbi-biotech stands for.
Benchtop Bioreactors
250 ml – 10 L | Glass and autoclavable vessel options
For controlled laboratory-scale cultivation in microbiology and cell culture – early R&D to method development and small-scale process work.
Parallel Bioreactors
2–24 vessels | Modular process development
For running multiple controlled cultivations side by side – for screening, media development to process comparison and scale-up preparation.
Pilot-Scale Bioreactors
Stainless steel | SIP-capable scale-up systems
For moving from lab development into SIP-capable stainless-steel systems for scale-up, process characterization and pre-production work.
Production Bioreactors
100 L – 10,000 L+ | Production trains and sterile transfer
For production-scale bioprocesses with stainless-steel sterilizable bioreactors, sterile transfer and complete seed-to-production bioprocessing trains.
Retrofit Bioreactors
Existing systems | Modern xCUBIO automation upgrade
For modernizing installed bioreactors with outdated controls – without unnecessary replacement of proven vessels, piping and hardware.
Photobioreactors
Lab to production scale | Phototrophic cultivation systems
For algae and phototrophic processes requiring defined light, specialized reactor concepts and automation beyond standard stirred vessels.
Bioreactor Sampling
Sterile sampling | Automated dispensing, filtration and storage
For automated, sterile and reproducible sampling from bioreactors – with reliable sample handling for glass, stainless-steel and disposable systems.
Accessories & Spare Parts
Accessories and Wear Parts | Service and Support
For keeping installed bioreactors running, maintained and extendable – with accessories, spare parts, wear parts and technical support from bbi-biotech.
Responsible leadership for complex bioprocess projects
As an independent, family-owned bioprocess equipment company, bbi-biotech is led by people who stay close to the technology, the projects and the decisions. For customers, this means technical judgement, commercial reliability and engineering responsibility – from first application discussion to delivery, documentation, service and long-term support.
bbi-biotech combines long-standing bioreactor leadership with a modern automation-focused engineering team for xCUBIO, bioPROBE and retrofit projects.
Bernd-Ulrich Wilhelm
Founder & CEO
Bernd-Ulrich Wilhelm re-founded bbi-biotech GmbH in Berlin in 2009 and leads the company with continuous experience in the bbi bioreactor environment since the early 1990s.
His background connects sales, product strategy, bioreactor development and long-term company direction. Experience from the B. Braun Biotech and Sartorius BBI Systems environment remains part of bbi-biotech’s heritage and continues to shape its focus on configurable systems, retrofit concepts, automation and lasting customer relationships.
Focus: Company direction | Bioreactor heritage | Product strategy
Ronnie Wilhelm
Managing Director, Head of Sales
Ronnie Wilhelm leads customer application discussions, technical sales and project scoping at bbi-biotech, helping customers move from initial requirements to a realistic system path.
His work connects customer needs with feasible system concepts, configuration options and the commercial route toward a suitable project. He is also closely connected to the development and positioning of bbi-biotech’s patented bioPROBE sampling technology, supporting bioreactor, sampling, automation and retrofit projects around real process needs.
Focus: Customer applications | Technical sales | Project scoping | bioPROBE
Katarina Junker
CFO
Katarina Junker is responsible for finance, procurement, project controlling and commercial stability at bbi-biotech, including responsibility for the spare parts and accessories business.
Her role supports the reliability behind customer projects: supplier payments, purchasing processes, cost control, spare parts and accessories all depend on clear commercial structures. For customers and partners, this means dependable order handling, long-term availability and the financial discipline required for demanding international projects.
Focus: Finance | Procurement | Project controlling | Spare parts & accessories
Norbert Metzler
Head of Process Engineering
Norbert Metzler leads the process engineering team at bbi-biotech and has worked before at B. Braun Biotech and Sartorius BBI Systems since 1990.
His experience in installation, commissioning and worldwide service of bioreactor systems gives bbi-biotech a practical understanding of how systems are built, installed, operated, serviced and modernized in real facilities. This is especially important for projects where engineering execution, retrofit feasibility, process integration and long-term operation are critical.
Focus: Process engineering | Installation | Commissioning | Retrofit
Together, the leadership team reflects what customers need from a serious bioprocess equipment partner: experienced bioreactor judgement, commercial responsibility, customer-focused project scoping and engineering execution. For customers, this creates a direct advantage. Technical and commercial questions can be discussed with people who understand the process, the equipment and the decisions behind a successful project.
bbi-biotech – A legacy bioreactor brand, rebuilt for modern process automation
bbi-biotech GmbH was re-founded in Berlin in 2009, but the roots of the bbi brand reach much further back into one of the most influential chapters of professional bioreactor engineering.
A defining presence in professional bioreactor technology
In the 1990s and early 2000s, the bbi brand became a familiar reference point for many users, service engineers and process developers – shaping expectations around robust vessel design, reliable operation, serviceability and long-term support.
Legacy carried forward through modern engineering
bbi-biotech GmbH carries this legacy forward as an independent company, combining experienced bioreactor leadership with a new generation of automation-focused engineering.
bbi-biotech – Timeline
1987
B. Braun Biotech International GmbH – the BBI roots
The roots of today’s bbi-biotech brand go back to B. Braun Biotech International GmbH, a company founded in 1987 within the B. Braun environment in Melsungen. In the bioprocess industry, the company became widely associated with the abbreviation BBI – linked to fermenters, bioreactors, cell culture systems and controlled bioprocess equipment for laboratory and production applications.
BBI was not a marginal niche brand. B. Braun Biotech International became one of the defining suppliers in professional fermenter and bioreactor technology, with a large installed base that shaped expectations around robust vessels, reliable automation, serviceability and long-term operation for many users, service engineers and process developers.
1990s
Bioreactor experience carried by people
The connection to this legacy is not only a brand story. Two members of today’s bbi-biotech leadership team, Bernd-Ulrich Wilhelm and Norbert Metzler, have worked with bioreactor systems since the B. Braun era in the early 1990s.
Bernd-Ulrich Wilhelm worked with responsibility in sales, product strategy and bioreactor development. Norbert Metzler worked in installation, commissioning and worldwide service of bioreactor systems.
For customers, this means practical experience with real installations, real service situations, real user requirements and the long-term realities of bioprocess equipment.
2000 / 2004
From B. Braun Biotech International to Sartorius BBI Systems
In 2000, Sartorius acquired B. Braun Biotech International GmbH from B. Braun Melsungen AG. With this acquisition, BBI bioreactor technology became part of the Sartorius Group and remained closely connected with fermenters, bioreactors, cell culture systems and automation for laboratory and production applications.
On 1 March 2004, B. Braun Biotech International GmbH was officially renamed Sartorius BBI Systems GmbH. The BBI name therefore remained visible for a period, but was increasingly integrated into the Sartorius corporate and brand structure.
2009
bbi-biotech GmbH re-founded in Berlin
In 2009, bbi-biotech GmbH was re-founded in Berlin by Bernd-Ulrich Wilhelm after the bbi-biotech brand had been officially registered again for the independent company.
The new bbi-biotech was not built as a catalogue supplier. It was built around the idea that serious bioreactor systems should be configurable, serviceable and technically aligned with the customer’s process – supported by automation, sampling, engineering and direct application discussion.
xCUBIO & bioPROBE
Legacy translated into new technology
The re-founded bbi-biotech did not simply continue a familiar brand. It turned established bioreactor understanding into its own technology platform.
With xCUBIO, bbi-biotech developed its own automation environment for configurable bioreactor systems – from laboratory units to pilot systems, in-situ installations, retrofit projects and production-oriented applications.
With patented bioPROBE sampling technology, bbi-biotech added a second core competence: automated sterile sampling, controlled sample transfer and integration into broader process and analytics workflows.
Together, xCUBIO and bioPROBE show what the revived bbi brand stands for today: established bioreactor understanding translated into modern automation, sampling and process-oriented engineering.
Today
Experienced bioreactor thinking, modern automation engineering
Today, bbi-biotech combines experienced bioreactor leadership with a modern automation-focused engineering team.
This combination is especially valuable for customers who need a supplier that understands both sides of the bioreactor world: established systems with technical and economic value, and new configurable platforms built for modern process development, scale-up, production support and automated sampling.
For customers, this means continuity where it matters most: experienced people, modern automation, practical retrofit concepts and support for both new bioreactor projects and existing installations.
bbi-biotech carries forward a strong bioreactor legacy by doing what serious bioprocess projects require today: engineering configurable systems, modernizing valuable installations and developing automation and sampling technologies around real process needs.
Real systems for real bioprocess work
Project examples and real implementations show how bbi-biotech works across new bioreactor systems, retrofit projects, automated sampling and production-oriented bioprocess environments.
Automated sampling for 16 third-party bioreactors in Singapore
In a research environment, four bioPROBE quad systems were integrated with 16 bioreactors to create a more scalable, deeply connected setup.
The project included iceBLOCK as well as extended OPC UA and Lucullus connectivity for more advanced automation and data integration.
Production setup in Germany up to 7000 L for soil health application
A production-oriented project for soil health applications uses xCUBIO automation in vessels up to 7000 L culture volume .
Multiple xCUBIO control units were coordinated to create a consistent automation architecture including units for media preparation.
Cell culture production platform with sterilizable transfer line
An xCUBIO in-situ setup combining a 20 L seed reactor with a 100 L production reactor.
The system was designed around a sterilizable transfer concept between both vessels, with the transfer line integrated into the software functions and CIP, and prepared for separate sterilization.
Retrofit for a large pharmaceutical producer in China
An UD50 and an UD500 bioreactor were upgraded with xCUBIO retrofit automation, including new glucose integration and pressure control.
The project was delivered under difficult lockdown conditions in close cooperation with a local service team.
Planning a bioreactor, sampling or retrofit project?
Start with your process requirements. Tell us what you want to cultivate, which scale you are working at, what kind of system you are considering and which technical constraints matter for your project.
For standard accessories, spare parts and catalogue items, please use the bbi-biotech shop. For general company questions, visit our contact page.
+49 (0)30 221 800 10
info@bbi-biotech.com
bbi-biotech GmbH
Landsberger Str. 259
12623 Berlin