MDS Sciex Acquires Molecular Devices

The acquisition created MDS Analytical Technologies (see IBO 1/31/07), an instrument business with more than $400 million in annual sales, and marked MDS’s full-scale entry into the analytical instrument market, where it had previously operated primarily as a manufacturing partner. MDS Analytical Technologies now faces the challenges of not only keeping Molecular Devices number one in the highly competitive plate reader market, but growing its sales of cellular analysis instruments.

Sartorius AG and Stedim SA Merge

The merger formed a $500 million company and brought another major player into the market for disposable biotech manufacturing equipment. With the acquisition, Sartorius joined the list of companies, including GE, Millipore and Lonza, participating in both the laboratory product and manufacturing equipment markets.

Roche Purchases 454 and Nimblegen

Roche Diagnostics’ purchases of 454 Life Sciences (see IBO 3/31/07) and Nimblegen (see IBO 6/30/07) significantly added to research instrument and consumable sales, creating a formidable competitor in the DNA sequencing and microarray market. The purchases also reinforced the growth prospects for both of these technologies and their future value in the molecular diagnostics market.

Agilent Buys Stratagene and Velocity11

With the purchases this year of Stratagene (see IBO 4/15/07) and Velocity11 (see IBO 11/15/07), and the purchase of Molecular Imaging last year (see IBO 11/30/06), Agilent Technologies expanded the range of analytical technologies it offers and the markets it serves, positioning itself for the fast-growing biotech market and as a provider of integrated laboratory solutions.

Thermo Fisher Scientific Acquires Qualigens

Thermo Fisher Scientific’s purchase of Qualigens (see IBO 7/31/07) was the first major Indian acquisition by a US analytical instrument firm and provides a key strategic advantage for Thermo Fisher’s laboratory products business. It is an advantage that Thermo Fisher will be able to use to lower costs and to supply Indian labs with laboratory as well as instrument products.

Bruker BioSciences Adds Bruker BioSpin

Although Bruker BioSciences and Bruker BioSpin (see IBO 12/15/07) were already closely aligned, the formal integration of the companies will give Bruker BioSciences a larger presence in a number of end-user markets as well as greater financial flexibility.