Company Announcements

Revenue for Takara Bio’s Genetic Engineering Research unit declined 0.3% for the fiscal year ending March 31 to ¥16,689 million ($179.7 million) to make up 87% of Takara Bio sales. Operating income rose 8.7% to ¥4,151 million ($44.7 million) (see IBO 9/30/10). Sales of research reagents declined, partly due to the yen’s appreciation, and sales of scientific instruments grew due to demand from Japanese government agencies. Also, contract research services revenue increased.

Corning announced in July that it will invest $40 million to establish a Life Sciences manufacturing and distribution facility in China’s Yangtze River Delta, which is expected to be operational in 2012.

For the first half of the year, revenue for Spectris’s Materials Analysis segment grew 2.8%, 0.4% organically, to ¥119.3 million ($182.1 million) to represent 30% of company sales (see IBO 8/31/10). Acquisitions and currency contributed 1.8% and 0.6% to revenue growth, respectively. Service and consumables accounted for 33% of segment sales. Adjusted operating profits jumped 20.9% to £13.9 million ($21.2 million). The company reported good sales for the academic market and strong demand from the pharmaceutical market, particularly in emerging markets. Sales to the metals and mining sector declined due to order backlog.

The Daily News Tribune reported in August that Thermo Fisher Scientific will close its clinical diagnostics facility in East Providence, Rhode Island, affecting 66 employees.

In August, Thermo Fisher Scientific opened a Technology Center in Shanghai, China, that houses engineers and support staff. A new demonstration center also opened.

In October, Thermo Fisher Scientific formed a Scientific Advisory Board, consisting of five researchers.

Teledyne Tekmar partnered with MLS Analytical in August for distribution of its Volatile Organic Compound and Total Organic Carbon instruments in Minnesota, Wisconsin, North and South Dakota, and Northern Illinois.

Teledyne Tekmar announced a partnership with Analytical Sciences Group for sales coverage in the Ohio River Valley and the Great Lakes Area.

Sartorius AG named Petra Kirchhoff to its Supervisory Board in October. She is the head of Group Corporate Communications. She succeeds Manfred Werner.

In October, Life Technologies named Dr. Paul R. Billings to the newly created position of chief medical officer. Most recently, he served as director and CSO of the Genomic Medicine Institute at El Camino Hospital.

Product Introductions

In September, Caliper Life Sciences introduced the General Side Effects Profile, a service offering to assess the potential for safety liabilities of drugs under GLP.

Overbrook Scientific launched a multivendor, harmonized analytical instrumentation qualification service for all makes and models of chemical analysis systems.