Company Announcements

BUCHI Labortechnik opened an office in Moscow, Russia, in January.

Eppendorf’s 2012 revenues grew 8.9%, 4.0% organically, to €520.2 million ($666.9 million) (see IBO 5/15/13). Adjusted operating profit rose 13.5% to €109.4 million ($140.3 million). Sales in Asia/Pacific/Africa, North/Latin America and Europe rose 12.8%, 8.1% and 7.2%, or 6.6%, 4.9% and 1.7% on an organic basis, to make up 25%, 37%, and 38% of revenues, respectively. During the year, the company opened subsidiaries in South Korea and Russia, and opened a cell biology application and training lab in China in December 2012.

COSA Xentaur formed a European subsidiary in April with the purchase of Germany-based Hygrocontrol, a manufacturer of high-end relative humidity and temperature instruments.

First quarter revenue for Roche Applied Science fell 9.8% to CHF 165 million ($217 million) to make up 7% of Roche Diagnostics sales. Excluding divested product lines, sales declined 6%. Applied Science sales in North America, Europe/Middle East/Africa and Rest of World declined 14%, 1% and 15% in constant exchange rates to make up 36%, 40% and 24% of sales, respectively. Genome Analysis sales fell 35%, while qPCR & Nucleic Acid Purification sales were flat and Custom Biotech sales were down 1%.

In April, Illumina entered into a strategic collaboration with China’s Kindstar Global, which will validate and implement molecular assays in their labs that leverage Illumina TruSight content sets, Infinium Dx CytoSNP-12 assay and NuPCR reagents.

In the first quarter, Illumina submitted its Infinium Dx CytoSNP-12 assay and iScan Dx array scanner to the FDA for review. The MiSeqDx system and cystic fibrosis full-gene sequencing assay are currently under FDA review.

Within Danaher Environmental, first quarter sales for existing water quality businesses grew at a low single-digit rate, primarily due to strong sales of consumables and service in North American industrial markets and improving demand in China and the Middle East, partially offset by lower demand for lab and process instruments. Within Life Sciences & Diagnostics, sales for existing life sciences businesses grew in the low single digits. MS sales grew, led by sales in applied and clinical research markets, but were partially offset by a decline in academic research sales. Strong demand for confocal microscopy in Europe, China and Japan was more than offset by lower industrial and medical demand, primarily in North America.

Fiscal year sales ending March 31 for Hitachi High-Technologies Science and Medical Systems (SMS) fell 9.7% to ¥132,900 million ($1,600 million) to account for 23% of revenues (see IBO 4/30/13). Biotechnology, Medical, Electron Microscopes and Other Scientific Instruments made up 10%, 55%, 23% and 10% of SMS sales, respectively. SMS operating profit fell 34.8% to ¥13,700 million ($164.9 million). Fiscal 2014 SMS sales are projected to grow 3% to ¥136,400 million ($1,436 million).