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Sales rise at Pall
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Association (AWWA), for the ‘most useful new or improved product’. TraceDetect – which is based in Seattle, Washington – claims that SafeGuard is the first automated analyzer with the accuracy that is required to meet the US Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) established arsenic limit for drinking water. Water quality analysts are accustomed to waiting two weeks for arsenic analyses from off-site laboratories, says the company. In addition to the prolonged health risks to customers, violators risk stiff fines for each day their arsenic levels exceed the limit. SafeGuard reduces those risks by displaying test results on-site in 30 minutes, claims Tracedetect. ‘Our goal is to provide community water-quality departments with a simple way to track their arsenic levels,’ says Richard Brewer, Chief Executive Officer of Tracedetect. ‘They require immediate results to monitor the effectiveness of their arsenic removal media, as well as the blending of waters to meet specifications. This is especially urgent as we approach the new EPA 10 part per billion (ppb) limit, which takes effect in January 2006.’ Contact: TraceDetect Inc, 180 North Canal Street, Seattle, WA 98103, USA. Tel: +1 206 523 2009, Web: www.tracedetect.com
Sales rise at Pall US-based Pall Corporation’s sales for the fourth quarter ended 31 July 2005 increased by 4% to $524.5 million. The company posted sales of $504.5 million for the corresponding period of 2004. Reported earnings were $43.4 million, compared with $55.5 million a year earlier. On a pro forma basis, earnings were $59.2 million, excluding restructuring and other charges, net of related tax, compared with $56.9 million a year earlier. The effect of foreign currency translation was not significant during the quarter, says the company. For the full year, sales increased by 7.5% to $1.9 billion, compared with sales of $1.77 billion in 2004. The reported earnings were $140.8
6
million, compared with $151.6 million a year ago. Excluding restructuring and other charges, net of related tax, earnings on a pro forma basis increased by 5% to reach $167.7 million, compared with $159.8 million a year earlier. The effect of foreign currency translation added 3.5% to revenues. Overall, Industrial sales grew by 3.5% in the quarter and operating profit margin improved to 17.6%. Operating profit increased by 6% to $55.5 million. The full-year sales increased by 5%. Microelectronics sales increased slightly in the quarter compared with the equivalent period a year earlier, as near double-digit growth in Asia was largely offset by shortfalls in Europe and the Western Hemisphere. The operating profit margin was 25.8% in the quarter and operating profit amounted to $15.3 million. Full-year sales rose by 4%. For the Life Sciences segment sales rose 2.5% in the quarter, with continued strong growth in BioPharmaceuticals. Life Sciences’ operating profit margin was 23.1%. Sales in the BioPharmaceuticals segment increased by 16.5% compared with 2004, and 9.5% on a reported basis, sequentially. Within the Medical segment, the Blood Filtration and Hospital Product sectors declined by 9.5% for the quarter as customers continue to experience a weakness in US blood collections, says Pall. The BioSciences portion of the business rose slightly. Medical operating profit margins were 22.1%, and operating profit totalled $26.1 million despite pricing pressures. Full-year Medical sales declined by 2.5% as growth in the company’s BioSciences and Hospital Product businesses was offset by a decline in Blood Filtration. Geographically, sales in the Western Hemisphere were down 4% in the quarter, as growth in BioPharmaceuticals and General Industrial was offset by shortfalls in Medical, Microelectronics and Aerospace. Sales for the full year were up 3%. Sales in Asia increased by 13% in the quarter and 13.5% for the full year, reflecting strong growth in the General Industrial sector and Microelectronics. ‘Looking at fiscal 2006, we anticipate continued good growth in
Asia and the Western Hemisphere,’ comments Eric Krasnoff, Pall’s Chairman and CEO. ‘In Europe, sales picked up in the last quarter, and we expect a continuing recovery during the new year.’ Contact: Pall Corporation, 2200 Northern Boulevard, East Hills, NY 11548, USA. Tel: +1 516 484 5400, www.pall.com
VWR, Sartorius sign distribution agreement Pennsylvania-based research laboratory products and services company VWR International Inc, and Sartorius AG, a laboratory and process equipment provider based in Göttingrn, Germany, recently signed an exclusive, multi-year agreement covering the distribution of laboratory water purification systems in the North American marketplace. The agreement grants VWR the exclusive rights to distribute Sartorius Arium laboratory water purification systems and accessories, including consumables, in the US, Canada and Mexico. For the European market, an agreement with VWR covering the distribution of the Arium product family has been in place since the beginning of 2004. ‘Following the excellent joint marketing activities with our laboratory water purification systems in Europe, the Sartorius agreement with VWR International now secures Sartorius’ presence in the North American markets,’ says Matthias Keff, Senior Vice President of the Bio-laboratory business area at Sartorius. ‘At the same time, we are consolidating our position as an all-in-one provider for laboratories.’ Contacts: Sartorius AG, Weender Landstrasse 94-108, D-37075 Göttingen, Germany. Tel: +49 551 3080, Fax: +49 551 308 289, www.sartorius.de VWR International Inc, 1310 Goshen Parkway, PO Box 2656, West Chester, PA 19380-0906, USA. Tel: +1 610 431 1700, www.vwr.com
In Brief Aqua Society constructs processing facility In Germany, Aqua Society Inc has received an order from Animox GmbH worth 2.1 million (US$2.5m) to construct a facility that processes waste meat and bone meal products to produce amino acids and peptides. The facility will incorporate membrane filtration and vacuum technologies, and will be constructed over a period of nine months. Aqua Society designs and develops technologies for application in the areas of refrigeration, water purification and wastewater treatment. Sartorius streamlines structure of Biotechnology Division German-based Sartorius AG has recently set about streamlining the organizational structure of its Biotechnology Division. Dr Joachim Kreuzburg, Group Chief Executive Officer, has assumed responsibility within the executive board for the division. Reinhard Vogt is now responsible for worldwide sales and marketing of the entire division, while Volker Niebel has assumed the responsibility worldwide for the research and development, production and supply chain management units. Previously, Vogt and Niebel jointly managed the Bioprocess business area within the Biotechnology Division. Dr Eric Janssens, President of the Biotechnology Division at Sartorius, resigned from the company’s board under a mutual agreement with board members, in order to dedicate his efforts to other professional tasks. He will be available as a consultant to the company until the end of 2005. Hoku Scientific announces IPO Hoku Scientific Inc of Honolulu, Hawaii recently announced the initial public offering (IPO) of 3.5m shares of its common stock, at an initial public offering price of US$6.00 per share. Shares of Hoku Scientific common stock trade on the Nasdaq National Market under the trading symbol ‘HOKU’. The company designs, develops and manufactures membrane electrode assemblies and non-fluorinated membranes for protonexchange membrane fuel cells.
Membrane Technology October 2005
Association (AWWA), for the ‘most useful new or improved product’. TraceDetect – which is based in Seattle, Washington – claims that SafeGuard is the first automated analyzer with the accuracy that is required to meet the US Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) established arsenic limit for drinking water. Water quality analysts are accustomed to waiting two weeks for arsenic analyses from off-site laboratories, says the company. In addition to the prolonged health risks to customers, violators risk stiff fines for each day their arsenic levels exceed the limit. SafeGuard reduces those risks by displaying test results on-site in 30 minutes, claims Tracedetect. ‘Our goal is to provide community water-quality departments with a simple way to track their arsenic levels,’ says Richard Brewer, Chief Executive Officer of Tracedetect. ‘They require immediate results to monitor the effectiveness of their arsenic removal media, as well as the blending of waters to meet specifications. This is especially urgent as we approach the new EPA 10 part per billion (ppb) limit, which takes effect in January 2006.’ Contact: TraceDetect Inc, 180 North Canal Street, Seattle, WA 98103, USA. Tel: +1 206 523 2009, Web: www.tracedetect.com
Sales rise at Pall US-based Pall Corporation’s sales for the fourth quarter ended 31 July 2005 increased by 4% to $524.5 million. The company posted sales of $504.5 million for the corresponding period of 2004. Reported earnings were $43.4 million, compared with $55.5 million a year earlier. On a pro forma basis, earnings were $59.2 million, excluding restructuring and other charges, net of related tax, compared with $56.9 million a year earlier. The effect of foreign currency translation was not significant during the quarter, says the company. For the full year, sales increased by 7.5% to $1.9 billion, compared with sales of $1.77 billion in 2004. The reported earnings were $140.8
6
million, compared with $151.6 million a year ago. Excluding restructuring and other charges, net of related tax, earnings on a pro forma basis increased by 5% to reach $167.7 million, compared with $159.8 million a year earlier. The effect of foreign currency translation added 3.5% to revenues. Overall, Industrial sales grew by 3.5% in the quarter and operating profit margin improved to 17.6%. Operating profit increased by 6% to $55.5 million. The full-year sales increased by 5%. Microelectronics sales increased slightly in the quarter compared with the equivalent period a year earlier, as near double-digit growth in Asia was largely offset by shortfalls in Europe and the Western Hemisphere. The operating profit margin was 25.8% in the quarter and operating profit amounted to $15.3 million. Full-year sales rose by 4%. For the Life Sciences segment sales rose 2.5% in the quarter, with continued strong growth in BioPharmaceuticals. Life Sciences’ operating profit margin was 23.1%. Sales in the BioPharmaceuticals segment increased by 16.5% compared with 2004, and 9.5% on a reported basis, sequentially. Within the Medical segment, the Blood Filtration and Hospital Product sectors declined by 9.5% for the quarter as customers continue to experience a weakness in US blood collections, says Pall. The BioSciences portion of the business rose slightly. Medical operating profit margins were 22.1%, and operating profit totalled $26.1 million despite pricing pressures. Full-year Medical sales declined by 2.5% as growth in the company’s BioSciences and Hospital Product businesses was offset by a decline in Blood Filtration. Geographically, sales in the Western Hemisphere were down 4% in the quarter, as growth in BioPharmaceuticals and General Industrial was offset by shortfalls in Medical, Microelectronics and Aerospace. Sales for the full year were up 3%. Sales in Asia increased by 13% in the quarter and 13.5% for the full year, reflecting strong growth in the General Industrial sector and Microelectronics. ‘Looking at fiscal 2006, we anticipate continued good growth in
Asia and the Western Hemisphere,’ comments Eric Krasnoff, Pall’s Chairman and CEO. ‘In Europe, sales picked up in the last quarter, and we expect a continuing recovery during the new year.’ Contact: Pall Corporation, 2200 Northern Boulevard, East Hills, NY 11548, USA. Tel: +1 516 484 5400, www.pall.com
VWR, Sartorius sign distribution agreement Pennsylvania-based research laboratory products and services company VWR International Inc, and Sartorius AG, a laboratory and process equipment provider based in Göttingrn, Germany, recently signed an exclusive, multi-year agreement covering the distribution of laboratory water purification systems in the North American marketplace. The agreement grants VWR the exclusive rights to distribute Sartorius Arium laboratory water purification systems and accessories, including consumables, in the US, Canada and Mexico. For the European market, an agreement with VWR covering the distribution of the Arium product family has been in place since the beginning of 2004. ‘Following the excellent joint marketing activities with our laboratory water purification systems in Europe, the Sartorius agreement with VWR International now secures Sartorius’ presence in the North American markets,’ says Matthias Keff, Senior Vice President of the Bio-laboratory business area at Sartorius. ‘At the same time, we are consolidating our position as an all-in-one provider for laboratories.’ Contacts: Sartorius AG, Weender Landstrasse 94-108, D-37075 Göttingen, Germany. Tel: +49 551 3080, Fax: +49 551 308 289, www.sartorius.de VWR International Inc, 1310 Goshen Parkway, PO Box 2656, West Chester, PA 19380-0906, USA. Tel: +1 610 431 1700, www.vwr.com
In Brief Aqua Society constructs processing facility In Germany, Aqua Society Inc has received an order from Animox GmbH worth 2.1 million (US$2.5m) to construct a facility that processes waste meat and bone meal products to produce amino acids and peptides. The facility will incorporate membrane filtration and vacuum technologies, and will be constructed over a period of nine months. Aqua Society designs and develops technologies for application in the areas of refrigeration, water purification and wastewater treatment. Sartorius streamlines structure of Biotechnology Division German-based Sartorius AG has recently set about streamlining the organizational structure of its Biotechnology Division. Dr Joachim Kreuzburg, Group Chief Executive Officer, has assumed responsibility within the executive board for the division. Reinhard Vogt is now responsible for worldwide sales and marketing of the entire division, while Volker Niebel has assumed the responsibility worldwide for the research and development, production and supply chain management units. Previously, Vogt and Niebel jointly managed the Bioprocess business area within the Biotechnology Division. Dr Eric Janssens, President of the Biotechnology Division at Sartorius, resigned from the company’s board under a mutual agreement with board members, in order to dedicate his efforts to other professional tasks. He will be available as a consultant to the company until the end of 2005. Hoku Scientific announces IPO Hoku Scientific Inc of Honolulu, Hawaii recently announced the initial public offering (IPO) of 3.5m shares of its common stock, at an initial public offering price of US$6.00 per share. Shares of Hoku Scientific common stock trade on the Nasdaq National Market under the trading symbol ‘HOKU’. The company designs, develops and manufactures membrane electrode assemblies and non-fluorinated membranes for protonexchange membrane fuel cells.
Membrane Technology October 2005