Company Announcements

GE announced in its quarterly conference call that second-quarter sales for GE Healthcare Life Sciences increased 7%.

Sigma-Aldrich’s second-quarter sales grew 15.0% to $637.0 million (see IBO 7/31/11) or 6% organically. Currency effects and acquisitions increased sales 7.8% and 1.6%, respectively. Research Essentials, Research Specialties, Research Biotech and Fine Chemicals revenues grew 17%, 29%, 11% and 26%, or 5.6%, 2.9%, 4.9% and 9.6% on an organic basis, to make up 19%, 37%, 15% and 29% of sales, respectively. Web-based sales increased 2% and were 50% of Research sales. US, German and International sales increased 10.1%, 12.5% and 18.9% to make up 36%, 10% and 54% of revenues, respectively. Sales in India, China and Brazil grew 20% organically.

Merck Millipore’s second-quarter sales increased 138.9% to €583.7 million ($845.9 million) (see IBO 7/31/11), 4.0% organically, to make up 61% of Merck KGaA’s Chemicals revenues. Bioscience, Lab Solutions and Process Solutions represented 17%, 42% and 41% of Merck Millipore sales. Sales in Europe, North America, Latin America and Asia/Africa/Australasia accounted for 39%, 27%, 8% and 26% of Merck Millipore sales.

Polysciences, a manufacturer of lab products and specialty monomers/polymers, opened an office in Taipei, Taiwan, in September.

In September, AXA Private Equity agreed to acquire a majority stake in Photonis, a provider of photo sensor technology, from Astorg Partners. In 2010, Photonis had sales of €160 million ($211 million).

JEOL USA announced in September an agreement to make Arquimed its exclusive agent in Chile.

In October, JEOL opened an office in São Paulo, Brazil, to provide direct support for its products.

The Milwaukee Wisconsin Journal Sentinel reported in October that Thermo Fisher Scientific will begin to close its exhaust fume hood facility in Two Rivers, Wisconsin, this year, resulting in the loss of 140 jobs.

In October, Becton Dickinson announced that Cathy E. Minehan will not stand for re-election to its Board.

Shimadzu Middle East & Africa, a wholly owned subsidiary based in the United Arab Emirates, established a sales subsidiary in South Africa in October with 13 employees. In 2012, the new subsidiary plans to have $8.6 million in revenue, growing to $13.2 million by 2014.

In October, Hitachi High-Technologies opened an Indonesian subsidiary in Jakarta with six employees and a sales target of ¥6.0 billion ($78.2 million) in fiscal 2015.

ProteinSimple announced that will provide direct sales, field applications and field service support for its biologics product lines in Europe starting in January 2012.

Private equity fund CapMan Russia acquired a 29% share in Lumex Instruments in October and plans to increase it to 44% during the next year. Lumex’s 2011 sales are expected to exceed €11 million ($14 million).