Due to the IBO January 15, 2012, forecast issue, a condensed version of the third-quarter IBO Lab Equipment/Consumables Index is presented in this issue. Third-quarter revenues for the Index grew 6.4%, 4.2% organically, to $3,834.8 million. Operating profits rose 4.9% to $707.2 million. Adjusted operating margin improved 50 basis points to 17.7% of sales.

Kewaunee Scientific’s fiscal second-quarter sales ending October 31 grew 1.3% to $26.0 million (see page 12). Despite pricing pressure, domestic sales grew 7.0% to account for 92% of revenues due to sustained demand for larger lab projects. International sales fell 36.4% due to construction delays. As a result, back orders increased more than 18% each sequentially and annually to $78.0 million. Operating results and gross margins were negatively impacted by competitive pricing and higher costs of raw materials. Operating loss was $0.2 million, compared with a profit of $1.4 million a year ago. Gross margin fell 630 basis points to 14.8% of sales.

For the fiscal first quarter ending September 30, revenue for Techne’s Biotechnology segment grew 14.7%, 2.8% organically, to $72.3 million to account for 93% of company sales. Acquisitions and currency added 8.9% and 3.0% to revenue growth, respectively. Segment sales to US industrial, pharmaceutical and biotechnology customers grew 9.3%. US academic sales declined 2.5%, and sales to Pacific Rim distributors were unchanged. R&D Europe sales decreased 0.7% in local currency. R&D China sales grew 14.1% at constant currency. Adjusted earnings before taxes for the segment improved 12.4% to $43.2 million, and adjusted gross margin improved 40 basis points to 81.0% of sales.

Third-quarter sales for Thermo Fisher Scientific’s Laboratory Products and Services (LPS) grew 5.4%, 1.4% organically, to $1,483.3 million to account for 50% of revenues. Acquisitions and currency contributed 1.4% and 2.6% to revenue growth, respectively. Organic sales were driven by biopharmaceutical outsourcing services, partially offset by lower demand from academia and government. LPS adjusted operating income grew 6.0% to $200.8 million. Adjusted operating margin was unchanged at 13.5% of sales.

VWR’s second-quarter revenues climbed 18.0%, 7.4% organically, to $1,066.0 million. Currency and acquisitions combined accounted for 10.6% of sales growth. Within the laboratory distribution businesses, consumables sales grew in the low double digits and capital goods revenue grew in the mid-single digits. Pharmaceutical and biotechnology sales grew in the low double digits. Industrial and educational sales grew in the high single digits each, and sales to governmental entities rose in the mid-single digits. Adjusted operating profit grew 12.6% to $68.6 million, including 5.7% growth from currency and acquisitions combined. Gross profit margin slipped 10 basis points to 28.3% of sales due to product mix. Organic sales for the North American Lab segment grew 6.8% to account for 57% of sales. European Lab sales climbed 10.3% organically to make up 39% of revenues. Science Education revenue fell 6.2%. Adjusted operating income for the North American Lab and European Lab segments grew 9.3% and 34.8% to $34.1 million and $32.9 million, respectively. Science Education’s adjusted operating loss widened more than threefold to $1.6 million.