Company Announcements

Roche’s 2013 sales of nucleic acid purification/real-time PCR reagents and systems in the life sciences market grew 6%.

QIAGEN adjusted fourth quarter 2013 sales grew 4.6%, 2% organically, to $362.6 million (see IBO 1/31/14). All figures below are on a currency-neutral basis. Consumables and related sales expanded 7%, 3% excluding acquisitions, to make up 86% of sales. Instruments sales declined 5%. Molecular Diagnostics and Applied Testing sales advanced 3% and 17% to account for 51% and 8% of sales, respectively. Including acquisitions, Pharmaceutical and Academic revenues rose 7% and 4% to make up 19% and 23%, respectively. Adjusted operating profit rose 0.3% to $106.3 million. Full-year 2013 adjusted sales improved 4.1%, 2% organically, to $1.31 billion, with acquisitions adding 2% to growth. All numbers below are on a currency-neutral basis. Consumables and related revenue climbed 6%, 3% excluding acquisitions, to make up 88% of sales. Instruments revenue declined 4%. Molecular Diagnostics and Applied Testing sales grew 7% and 6% to account for 50% and 8% of revenues, respectively. Pharmaceutical and Academic sales increased 3% and 1% to make up 19% and 23%, respectively. Sales in the Americas, Europe/Middle East/Africa and Asia/Pacific grew 5%, 2% and 6% to account for 48%, 32% and 19% of revenues, respectively. Adjusted operating profit slipped 0.2% to $355.8 million. In 2014, currency-neutral sales are expected to grow 4%–5% including acquisitions and headwinds of roughly 4% from lower US HPV test sales.

Hitachi High-Technologies established a Russian subsidiary in January and aims for it to generate ¥10 billion ($97 million) in sales by 2018.

Fourth quarter 2013 sales for Mettler-Toledo’s Lab business grew 6% excluding currency to account for 48% of revenues, or $328.5 million. Full-year 2013 Lab sales rose 3% on a currency-neutral basis to account for 46% of company revenues, or $1,094 million. Strong European sales for lab-related products were partially offset by weak demand in China and from government markets. Excluding currency, Mettler sales are projected to grow 3%–4% in 2014, including 3%–5% growth for the Lab business.

Mettler-Toledo announced in its latest quarterly conference call that it is one of the 20 companies selected to participate in Shanghai, China’s pilot free-trade zone.

In February, Illumina increased the size of its Board to 10 members, adding President Francis A. deSouza.

Shimadzu Scientific Instruments opened its new 4,000 ft2 Shimadzu Solution Center at its North America headquarters in Columbia, Maryland.

Becton, Dickinson appointed Amit Bhalla as vice president, Global Strategy and Development. He was previously director—Equity Research—Life Science Tools/Medical Technology at Citi.

Xylem’s 2013 Test revenue grew 3% in the fourth quarter 2013. Full-year 2013 organic revenue for Test were flat at $295 million.