PartnerTech (STO:PART) and Biotage (STO:BIOTA), an international company in the field of life science research, have expanded their cooperation and signed a new agreement to manufacture instruments for DNA analysis and microwave synthesis. The agreement, which runs for two years and renews automatically, is worth an estimated SEK 40 million annually. “PartnerTech’s expertise and level of quality make us feel secure in assigning them to handle our products” says Torben Jörgensen, President and CEO of Biotage. “PartnerTech’s product development division, which has helped make our instruments even more competitive in a number of different ways, is also a very big advantage for us.” Biotage has long collaborated with PartnerTech on the development and production of its DNA instruments. The new agreement covers ongoing manufacture of current products as well as serial production of a new DNA instrument that PartnerTech developed. Thanks to close cooperation between the development units of the two companies, the new instrument which fulfils the IVD-directive, is more cost-effective to manufacture and offers higher performance. Biotage is served by PartnerTech’s customer center in Åtvidaberg, Sweden, which manufactures the instrument. “PartnerTech has far-reaching expertise and a strong offering for the manufacture of biomedical equipment that provide our customers with greater value and security in the handling of their products,” says Rune Glavare, President and CEO of PartnerTech. “We are glad that Biotage has decided to sign a new contract with us, and we look forward to pursuing this successful collaborative effort.” Biotage AB is an international company in the field of life science research. The company provides solutions, expertise and experience in genetic analysis and medicinal chemistry. Among its customers are the world’s 30 biggest pharmaceutical companies and 20 biggest biotech companies, as well as leading academic institutions. Headquartered in Uppsala, Sweden, the company has subsidiaries in the United States, Japan, the UK, Germany and several other European countries. Biotage (www.biotage.com) has some 336 employees, reported sales of SEK 496.4 million in 2007, and is listed on the OMX Nordic Exchange Stockholm. PartnerTech AB develops and manufactures products under contract for leading companies, primarily in telecommunications, IT, engineering and medical technology. With some 1,700 employees at its plants in Sweden, Norway, Finland, Poland, the UK, the United States and China, PartnerTech reports annual sales of approximately SEK 2.6 billion. PartnerTech AB (www.partnertech.com), the parent company, is headquartered in Malmö and listed on the OMX Nordic Exchange Stockholm. Information reported to the Swedish Financial Supervisory Authority (Finansinspektionen)