Analtech

I received some random chemistry-industry PR, and spotted therein this unusually-named chromatography company and its contemplative technical director. What could he be thinking about? Heather suggests: "Hmmmm. Maybe we should change our name." UPDATE: Analtech has considered changing their name. I hope they keep it.

⟿ Follow Rob Beschizza on Twitter.

MORE: Science

More at Boing Boing

Ants and Stars: Bruce Sterling and Jasmina Tesanovic visit the Sardinia Radio Telescope in Italy

The Snowden Principle

Lobster

Rectum? Damn near killed ‘em!

Nope, doesn’t work here either. Close, though.
oasisob1

Keep the name, change the logo to better fit.
Utenzil

We’ve heard it all before: tech startup with flashy name starts making money hand over fist, ends up opening themselves up to a federal probe.
Alex

Perhaps they should go into business with expertsexchange and powergenitalia.
Anonymous

I think they should keep it, free advertising!

I used to work for a defense lab. A new group started there. They called themselves the “Advanced Signals Systems” group. When they saw the acronym they decided to think of another name.
teapot

Anyone who wastes time as professionally as I would
have
seen
this
before
RedShirt77

This is my favorite thread of the week and we just got started.
speedreeder

This reminds me of that Futurama joke, where they changed the name of the planet Uranus to Urrectum. This seriously looks like some kind of anal lube company.
Anonymous

In the world of ANALytical chemists, ANAL is everything.
W. James Au

Geez, just rename it Analitech or Analytech. Brand recognition is basically preserved, 90% of the giggling stops, problem solved.
delroy666

At work, I often purchase electronic components made by ASSMANN Electronics, Inc. http://www.assmann.us/ I hope they don’t change their name.
Anonymous

I can’t get behind that.
gwailo_joe

Even bad publicity is. . .publicity I guess.

The latest brand name that amuses me is ‘Aciphex’, an anti-indigestion drug. I get the point of the name, it fights the acid that hurts your tummy etc. . .

But, when I hear the commercial on the TV, I wonder:

“Why oh why did you name your product ass effects?!?”

(oh right, see above…)
Blue

I love that The Guardian Technology section tab in Firefox reads:

“Technology news, comment and anal…”

The best of all worlds!
Anonymous

change it to rectaltech, problem solved.
Anonymous

What about Analytech?

The “anal” is obviously for analytical chemistry; we often had giggling fits in chem upon receiving our schedules with “anal. chem.” time slots.
Anonymous

It seems like they posted that 2 years ago, so I assume they’re keeping it.
Anonymous

Lulz

http://www.analogenics.com
vtRusseell

Here in Vermont we had an insurance company (now defunct) known as H.I.V. I think it stood for “Health Insurance Vermont,” or some such, but they had a big illuminated HIV sign, which proved a bit of an embarrassment when the AIDs crisis hit.
Baron Karza

Isn’t Analtech the company that Tommy Toilet started back in 1971?
http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l78/exquisiteoaf/SonyDigitalCamera4-14-08016.jpg
Recluse

Heh, I used to use tons of Analtech TLC plates back in the day when I was still in the lab. I never gave the name a SINGLE THOUGHT.

Maybe because we always pronounced it an-AL-tech rather than..well…the way you filthy minded perverts would :)
Anonymous

Reminds me of one one of my favorite
Arrested Development jokes…

-to paraphrase-
“I’m combining the skills of an analyist, with
that of a therapist. I’ll be the worlds first
Analrapist!”

now THERE’S a name for an analytical company!
MrJM

“The system crashed again. Did somebody call the AT guys?”
bcsizemo

I love it.

I’d love to work for them, just so I could say, “I work for Analtech.”

That and the logo looks like a thumb with some “scent” wafting from it…(at least that’s what I saw after seeing the company name.)
ill lich

Huh, “Analtech”, no shit.
massspecgeek

The American Chemical Society journal “Analytical Chemistry”, probably the most prestigious in the sub-discipline, is almost ubiquitously referred to as Anal Chem. Two of my degrees are in analytical chemistry and when you’re in the field you get used to it pretty quickly. I wouldn’t even bat an eye seeing Analtech in the lab, though I don’t remember ever using any of their products.
Anonymous

Wow, I’ve been driving by that sign for nine years or so and always am kicking myself for not getting a picture. Now I know I can forgive myself.

Well done, Internet. Well done.

adm
Anonymous

I worked briefly for a company that used to be called PMS, but that’s not quite in the same league.
Genteel Bartender

Thank you for calling Analtech. JUST a moment.
malathion

How about Miasole?

http://iamnotstevejobs.blogspot.com/2007/02/john-doerrs-new-company.html
Antinous / Moderator

Penis Land? Sign me up!
ackpht

For a time the IBM unit that made disk drives was known as the Storage Technology Division. We were treated to emails and PowerPoint presentations and org charts proudly labeled “IBM STD”.

But after only a few months they changed the name again. No idea why.
imorgan73

I drive past a car repair shop with a sign for FAG posted proudly out the front. Turns out they make ball bearings.

“The FAG brand started with an ingenious idea. In 1883, Friedrich Fischer designed a ball grinding machine in Schweinfurt, Germany that, for the first time, made it possible to produce absolutely round steel balls by grinding. This invention is regarded as the foundation for the entire rolling bearing industry. This is one of the reasons why FAG has long been considered to be a pioneer in rolling bearing technology. Today, FAG is one of the leading brands for applications in machine building, the automotive industry and in aviation and aerospace technology. The Schaeffler Group’s FAG brand has companies, subsidiaries and sales agencies in all major industrial countries.”
http://www.fag.de/content.fag.de/en/index.jsp
julianafanana

Ha! i drive by this company on my way to classes. No matter how many times I see it I think it’s ridiculous. I never would have connected analytical technology, and I work in biotechnology.
Anonymous

I keep trying to get my wife to try Analtech but she won’t go for it. Maybe if she got really drunk…
Ian Mackereth

I used to snigger to myself at the liquid nitrogen bottles seen near hospitals and biology labs, proudly marked with the supplier’s name:

Analgas

They’ve now (sadly) changed their name to the boring and forgettable.. umm… something Gas Australia…

http://www.zibb.au.com/healthcare/profile/analgas+australia+pty+ltd/au/new+south+wales/castle+hill/2154/32151605
Teller

They should run with it.
Jake0748

I just skipped to the bottom here, without yet reading the post or the comments. I’m ready for bed, and this is why I love BB, I know when I read all of this I will fall asleep laughing.
Bless you all. :D
Anonymous

http://plambeck.org/cgi-bin/wordgen.cgi

Here are your random company names:
ANALMR Group
Analcro Asia
Analysys USA
ANALx Manufacturing
Analgroup Capital
Analutia Development
Anals, Inc
Anallam Consulting
Analtionicro Technology
AnalSynology Technology Partners
Anonymous

may i suggest that they change their logo instead?

.~.
Rob Beschizza

Thank you to Antinous for remembering the one all-time classic in this genre, but how could we have gotten to 50 comments without mention of ExpertsExchange? For shame.
- Pirate Jenny
  
  Please refer to comment #21 :)
Shart Tsung

BAHAHA
Kylini

Anatec. Problem solved. Same branding, same name origin, almost the same pronunciation, same logo with bigger letters to fit width. Easy.
Anonymous

Analtech has a building in Newark, Delaware, I remember seeing the sign all the time growing up. The name Analtech has been a big joke on the internet for a while now, google it and you can find a picture of their sign.
johnmcorg

Do they have any openings for Analrapists?

Also, the asterisk they used on their survey looks quite bungtastic.
- Anonymous
  
  it’s not the pronunciation that scares me
- jimh
  
  Yes, and you were almost arrested for those business cards…
Capissen

I’m no advertising exec, but I would think the buzz created by a name like that would be worth millions. Any publicity is good publicity, within reason. If you’re talking about it, they’ve already won.
Mister44

It works for Assenter

http://www.accenture.com/

Considering the company is 50 years old – keep it.
magneticwheels

a friend of mine worked for a start-up that made human resources software some years ago. they did a little market testing of their proposed name on their employees. they were attempting to combine the words “aspire” and “hire” and decided the best way to do that was “asphire”.the conversation went like this: “ass-fire?” “NO, it’s pronounced asp-hire.” “well, it looks like ass-fire.” “grumble grumble grumble”
Anonymous

Free viral advertising + highly memorable name = it may be based on us all being totally juvenile, but it’s great marketing!

The logo could definitely change, though.
Anonymous

I got a greatest flashing LED lanyard from Analtech at a conference two weeks ago. The resulting innuendo around the office has been very entertaining.
Fran

I reckon these guys have a bigger problem: http://www.kunt.com.tr/
- Art
  
  That is hysterical! Thanks, Fran, for your link and comment :)
TokenFrenchDude

Actually it’s kind of cute, after the first effects of juvenile humour…

And I will remember that brand from now on; marketing win.
jaytkay

My former employer was a client of mega-sized law firm Morrison & Foerster. I always enjoyed getting email from MoFo.com.
waltbosz

Not too far from the Analtech building in Newark, DE there used to be a company called Gaylord. As kids we would snicker as our bus drove past every morning. That place either changed their name or went out of business because the huge Gaylord sign is no longer there. I remember their logo looked like a hang glider.
pauldrye

Actually, I heard that the survey results were already overwhelmingly in favour of changing the name. So they’re going with a new one: Analcom.
nixiebunny

When I worked in a corporation that owned a logic analyzer, its /etc/hosts entry was anal, and no one was bothered by it.

But that’s an inside joke among engineers, not the public face of the company.
- Anonymous
  
  We had problems with a brain dead mail profanity filter some years ago… it blocked all messages with “analyst” or “analysis” in the text, which of course included the email addresses of a substantial chunk of the company…
Anonymous

boinkboink!
Art

Great post and comments. Laughs abound. Thanks to All!!!