Company Announcements

Wako Pure Chemical Industries, a manufacturer and seller of lab chemicals, specialty chemicals and clinical diagnostics reagents, announced a name change in October to FUJIFILM Wako Pure Chemical, effective April 1, 2018.

 Avantor opened the Avantor Korea Laboratory, a life sciences research and applications lab, in Suwon, South Korea, in October.

In October, HORIBA announced executive changes. Atsushi Horiba, chairman, president and CEO, was named chairman and Group CEO. Juichi Saito, executive vice president, was named vice chairman and Group COO. Masayuki Adachi, senior managing director, was named president and COO.

HORIBA, HORIBA STEC and HORIBA Advanced Techno announced in November an agreement with Shiga University in the field of data science research and human resource development. HORIBA plans to utilize artificial intelligence to analyze the data gathered by its measurement instruments. Focus areas include reducing operational burden at wastewater treatment facilities.

In November, Shimadzu opened an R&D innovation center in Singapore. The Shimadzu Innovation Centre has seven staff members, who will promote joint R&D with local researchers. Prototypes developed at the Center will be transferred to the head office in Japan for final product creation.

As part of its second quarter fiscal 2018 results presentation, Shimadzu stated that it plans to establish a sixth analysis center for its Analytical & Measuring Instruments business in Xian, China, by August 2018.

Shimadzu Scientific Instruments, Shimadzu’s US business, announced in December a partnership with Restek to sell Restek’s consumables throughout the US, Latin America and the Carribean. The consumables line includes HPLC and GC columns, and column hardware, valves, syringes, septa and vials, as well as reference standards.

Diploma’s fiscal 2017 sales ending September 30 for its a1-group of Environmental business grew 9%, 3% in constant currency to £20.1 million ($22.1 million). Revenue for the Germany-based A1-envirosciences grew 3%.

According to Becton, Dickinson’s fiscal 2017 SEC filing, Biosciences sales for the year ending September 30 grew 1.8%, 2.4% excluding currency, to $1,139 million to make up 29% of Life Sciences revenue.

In November, Illumina opened of its Solutions Center on the Genopole Campus near Paris. The customer training center will host up to one thousand scientists a year. It will also accommodate Illumina’s first commercial office on the European continent, which will provide support in the development of skills for the expanding genomics industry in France.

In November, GE Healthcare Life Sciences entered into a strategic partnership with China-based RiboBio aimed at establishing a deep alliance to jointly build Asia’s largest oligonucleotide drug development and manufacturing facility in China. GE Healthcare Life Sciences will provide the advanced instrumentation, including its new IN Cell Analyzer 6500HS and Äkta OligoProcess (1800 mmole) systems.

For the six months ending September 30, Halma Environmental & Analysis sales rose 17.9% to £116.5 million ($128.0 million) (see IBO 11/30/17), including 11% organic constant currency growth, 2% growth from acquisitions and 5% growth from currency effects. The segment reported a strong performance in Spectroscopy & Photonics revenue. Adjusted operating profit rose 69.7% to £19.9 million ($21.9 million).

Spectris announced in November that like-for-like sales for its Materials Analysis segment grew 6% for the July–October period.

In November, Fluidigm voluntarily dismissed with prejudice its suit against Thermo Fisher Scientific alleging breach of a patent cross-license agreement (see IBO 5/31/17).

In November, Metrohm announced that its MEP Instrument business will be renamed Metrohm Australia and Metrohm New Zealand, effective January 1, 2018. MEP Instrument was jointly established by Metrohm and Anton Paar. Anton Paar now plans to establish Anton Paar Australia and New Zealand as a separate entity.

In November, QIAGEN announced plans with Health Innovation Manchester to participate in the establishment of a life science campus in Manchester, UK.  QIAGEN currently employs 270 people in the city, according to the Manchester Evening News. The University of Manchester, the NHS Trust and the UK government would also be partners in the project.

In November, Danaher named Joakim Weidemanis as executive vice president, with responsibility for the Product Identification and Water Quality platforms. He previously served as a vice president and Group executive of the Product Identification platform.

Bruker announced in December a 10-year partnership with the Metropolitan Museum of Art to further advance novel analytical technologies and methods in the field of cultural heritage science. The partnership is focused on MS, as well as XRD and Raman imaging. Bruker will provide instruments and technical expertise for the Network Initiative for Conservation Science.