Major Change in Microbiology Market
In its presentation about the purchase, bioMérieux said the acquisition will make it the largest provider of industrial microbiology products and number one in the food microbiology market. Other major players in these markets include 3M, Thermo Fisher Scientific and Merck KGaA. According to the presentation, 49% and 31% of AES Chemunex’s revenues are from food, and pharma and cosmetics, respectively. Culture media, lab automation and industrial flow cytometry account for 30%, 10% and 20% of sales, respectively.
Marcy l’Etoile, France 5/19/11—IVD supplier bioMérieux has agreed to acquire AES Laboratoire, a provider of industrial microbiology products, for €183 million ($261 million = $0.70 = $1). AES Laboratoire’s AES Chemunex business had fiscal 2011 sales of €76 million ($108 million) (excluding the divested Agrobio business). AES Laboratoire’s product offerings include culture media, rapid microbiology testing methods and lab instruments. “AES Laboratoire’s innovative solutions, especially in lab automation and rapid microbiology, are aligned with our 2015 strategic goals,” commented bioMérieux CEO Stéphane Bancel. AES Laboratoire has nearly 400 employees. AES Chemunex is the fifth-largest industrial microbiology company, according to bioMérieux. The acquisition is expected to close in the third quarter.
