Bio-Techne Sales Led by China

Bio-Techne’s 7% organic sales growth in the fiscal third quarter was led by its Biotechnology division. In the Biotechnology Division, core product sales grew mid-single digits. Leading product demand, all with high single digit or faster sales growth, were sales of proteins, cell culture products, immunoassay and Novus-branded antibodies. Assay product revenue grew low double digits. ACD organic sales jumped almost 30%.

Sales growth for the Protein Platform division was negatively affected by sales of the Biologics product line, which suffered difficult year-over-year and sequential comparisons. But revenues for all of the division’s other product lines increased, with double-digit revenue growth for Simple Western, SimplePlex and Single Cell Western products. For the first nine months of the fiscal year, SimplePlex sales are up 85%, with sales expected to be nearly $15 million by fiscal year end.

Diagnostic division sales increased, benefitting from the impact of timing of OEM shipments and mid-single digit growth for hematology control revenue.

For the company as a whole, European sales led all regions, rising high single digits organically. European revenue was led by over 10% growth in academic sales as well as a mid-single digit rise in biopharma sales. US revenue rose mid-single digit, bolstered by 10% growth in academic markets, while biopharma sales grew low single digits. However, excluding Biologics, US sales were up high single digits.

Chinese sales were a highpoint for the quarter, up more than 20% on an organic basis. Japanese sales increased in the high single digits, while remaining APAC sales were up in the low teens.

Bruker Beats Revenue Guidance

Bruker Scientific Instruments (BSI) organic revenues from a year ago, rising in the first quarter. BSI aftermarket sales also show healthy growth, rising 11.2% to $112.5 million.

Of BSI’s four segments, Bruker CALID recorded the fastest sales growth, up in the high single digits in constant currency. Within CALID, Daltonics reported strong growth for research MS and microbiology products. The Optics business also showed good sales revenue growth as the company highlighted sales of FTIR and Raman systems to academic, industrial and applied end-markets.

Sales for Bruker Nano grew mid-single digits in constant currency as a result of improved industrial end-markets. With Bruker Nano, industrial end-markets also boosted sales growth for Bruker AXS, as did demand for nanosurfaces and nanoanalysis products. However, AXS semiconductor metrology revenue was flat due to shipment delays.

Bruker BioSpin was the only BSI division to post a decline in revenue, as sales were down slightly on a currency neutral basis. NMR sales were slow due to shipment and acceptance delays of mid- to high-field systems. But NMR sales to food and beverage, and clinical phenomics markets were healthy. Also showing strong revenue growth was BioSpin’s pre-clinical imaging business.

By end-market, pharmaceutical and industrial research sales were healthy, with academic sales steady. For the company as a whole, on an organic basis, sales in Europe rose high single digits, followed by a mid-single digit increase for North American revenue. In contrast, Asia Pacific sale declined low single digits, affected by BioSpin NMR delays.

Merck Life Science Sales Growth Hit by Currency Effects

Merck KGaA’s Life Science sales suffered a currency set back in the first quarter, with organic growth of 8.8% masked by almost the same in negative currency effect (see Bottom Line). The division’s growth led all three of Merck KGaA’s divisions. During the quarter, the business sector introduced almost four thousand products.

Process Solutions sales showed strong growth and none of the customer spending pullbacks experience in the first half of 2017. Organic sales growth for Research Solutions was led by Lab and Specialty Chemicals. Highlights of Applied Solutions sales growth were advanced analytics, biosystems, regulated materials and lab water.

The company noted robust organic sales growth for Life Science in Europe, which grew 5.5%, led by Process Solutions’ Actives & Formulation business. Life Science North Americas sales increased 9.3% on an organic basis, led by BioProcessing, with currency eroding growth by 14.1%. Organic sales in Asia-Pacific rose 14.7% organically, with Process Solutions again in front, generating good growth in China, India and Singapore. Process Solutions also fueled Latin America sales that grew 7.5% organically, particularly Actives & Formulation. However, organic revenues in the Middle East and Africa declined 14.8% also due to Process Solutions.

QIAGEN

Total sales for QIAGEN climbed 12%, 6% excluding currency effects, to $343.6 million. Consumables and related sales rose 7% on a currency neutral basis to represent 89% of sales, while Instrument revenue climbed 1%. All growth rates below are currency neutral.

Demand for Molecular Diagnostics was driven by double-digit growth but instrument sales declined single digits. QuantiFERON-TB sales continued to show good results, up double digits. Healthy demand for Personalized Healthcare and infectious disease testing products also added to Molecular Diagnostics demand.

Sales to academia rose as a result of double-digit instrument growth and low single digit sales increases for consumables. Academic sales demand was driven by China, as the US posted single digit sales increases.

Sales to the pharmaceutical end-market grew high single digits for both instruments and consumables. Although pharma CER sales grew double digits in Americas and single digits in Europe, sales in Asia-Pacific declined.

Finally, Applied Testing instrument sales increased in low single digits, while consumables sales were flat. American sales grew double digits due to demand for forensic products, while sales in Europe and Asia-Pacific were softer.

The company reiterated its forecast for a 21.7% increase in NGS product sales in 2018 to $140 million. NGS sales rose in strong double digits in the first quarter. The company forecasts second quarter sales to increase 5%–6% on an organic basis.

LC and MS Sales Fuel Shimadzu AMI Revenue Growth

Shimadzu Analytical & Measuring Instruments (AMI) reported its fiscal year-end results for the year ending March 31. Sales of “Key Models,” including LC and MS products, rose 12% to make up 53% of AMI sales, while sales of “Other,” such as water quality testing systems, rose 10% to represent the remainder. Aftermarkets sales grew 9% to represent 27% of AMI revenue.

AMI once again reported strong sales for LC and MS products. European sales growth benefited from MS sales for food safety testing, LC and GC demand from the chemical industry, and sales of testing machines for transport equipment, materials and academia.

LC and MS sales were also robust in China, boosted by food safety, environmental, contract analysis customer demands, and also fueled by GC and environmental measurement system sales. LC and MS sales were also good in India for pharmaceuticals, and food and contract testing, respectively. Likewise, Japanese sales for LC grew for the pharmaceutical and chemical markets, while MS sales expanded for RoHS compliance, and testing machine sales increased for the automotive market.

Shimadzu forecasts fiscal 2018 AMI sales to increase 4.1% to ¥241.0 million ($2.2 billion = ¥108.37 = $1).