Company Announcements

Atago opened a Chinese branch in Guangzhou in March.

Micromeritics Instruments (China) was incorporated in April as a full-service import/export company. The company currently has 25 employees located in four offices.

In March, MTS Systems announced it was notified by the US Department of the Air Force that it is temporarily suspended from new US government contracting for failure to disclose its guilty plea in 2008 to two misdemeanors for making false statements related to export matters in 2003. The Department of Commerce and Department of Justice are currently investigating. In the first half of fiscal 2011, US government contracts made up 5% of revenues.

Malvern Instruments joined the SoftComp Consortium and European Soft Matter Infrastructure Project for soft matter composites and complex fluids.

Alpha Technologies, a provider of precision rubber and polymer lab instrumentation, announced that sales grew 41% in 2010.

AMETEK Test & Calibration Instruments announced in May that it is now directly marketing its line of material test and force measurement products in Denmark.

In May, Xigo Nanotools named DKSH its exclusive distributor for Taiwan, Thailand, Singapore and Malaysia.

In July, RheoSense announced an exclusive distribution partnership with DKSH for Taiwan, Thailand and Singapore.

Thermo Fisher Scientific named Oleinitec as a distributor of Thermo Scientific rheometers, viscometers, lab mixers and extruders in Sweden, Denmark and Finland.

In June, Malvern Instruments established direct operations in Canada.

Product Introductions

TA Instruments launched the Discovery differential scanning calorimeter, featuring diffusion-bonded sensor technology for a continuous thermosensitive surface.

Lloyd Instruments, an AMETEK company, released the Model LS1 universal testing machine, a single-column materials-testing machine for applications under 1 kN force.

Mettler-Toledo introduced the FBRM G400 and G600 models for in-process particle measurement in research or manufacturing in vessels less than 50 mL up to greater than 20,000 L.

Elcometer launched the 2250 Krebs viscometer, offering both automatic and manual Krebs viscosity tests.

ITT Analytics released the Bellingham + Stanley OPTi handheld refractometer for Brix analysis of beverages and foodstuffs.

Rudolph Research Analytical introduced the J457 refractometer, featuring a dual temperature control system. It is available in three configurations.