DUSSELDORF, Germany, March 20 — Gerresheimer has agreed

with the US company Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. (TMO) to establish a

joint venture company under the name “Kimble/Chase Life Scienceware LLC”.

The company will be based in New Jersey/USA. Gerresheimer contributes its

life-science business to the new company in parallel with certain

laboratory glass-ware product lines of Thermo Fisher Scientific, thereby

creating one of the leading worldwide producers of special glass products

in the life-science research sector. With 51% of the shares, Gerresheimer

has a majority in the new joint venture company. It will employ around

1,500 people in 7 plants in the USA, Mexico, China and Germany. The closing

of the joint venture is subject to customary closing conditions, including

applicable regulatory approvals.

A joint venture with Thermo Fisher Scientific for life-science products

in the area of marketing and distribution has already existed since 2001.

“The new agreement provides an ideal combination which makes us a top

global supplier in the important market segment of life-science research,”

says Dr. Axel Herberg, President and CEO of the Gerresheimer Group.

Gerresheimer contributes production facilities in the USA, Mexico and

China, while Thermo Fisher contributes production facilities in the USA and

Germany.

The new joint venture company “Kimble/Chase Life Scienceware” ideally

complements the Gerresheimer range of innovative products based on glass

and plastic. It marks an important step for Gerresheimer in its targeted

development into a global pharma/life-science Group. The products of the

new joint venture are used in industrial pharmaceutical R & D. They are

supplied among others under the Kimble, Kontes and Bomex trademarks.

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(c) Gerresheimer Group GmbH

Gerresheimer is a pharmaceutical & life-science supply and services

company with market leading positions of specialty products made of glass

and plastic. Gerresheimer owns 32 production sites in Europe, North America

and Asia and employs approximately 8,500 employees worldwide.