JENA, Germany—In early April, Analytik Jena AG announcedthat it had signed a contract, with the approval of its supervisory board, forthe acquisition of all shares of UVP LLC, an Upland, Calif.-based provider ofimaging systems for genomics, proteomics and plant/animal sciences. Thetransaction was scheduled to close April 5 with a transfer of the shares.
In conjunction with its acquisition of UVP, Analytik Jenahas also acquired Ultra-Violet Products Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of UVPbased in Cambridge, the United Kingdom. No financial details were disclosed.
Leighton Smith, president and CEO of UVP, says thetransaction was in the works a little less than a year. Analytik Jena wascontacted in June 2012, he notes, and a non-disclosure agreement was signed bythe end of the month. Following the acquisition, UVP will retain its currentemployees and facilities, according to Smith, and will operate as part ofAnalytik Jena's Life Science business unit.
"Analytik Jena recognized the growth potential of ourproduct portfolio, strong brand name, global distribution network and ourtechnical and manufacturing expertise," says Smith. "With the acquisition ofUVP, Analytik Jena significantly expands its Life Science business unit, gainsaccess to U.S. distribution, expands its product portfolio with complementaryproducts and now owns a world-class manufacturing operation located in the U.S.This is besides a number of other strategic synergies that will grow our globalpresence."
UVP offers bioimaging systems and ultraviolet products forboth laboratory and industry use. The company's imaging systems support applicationssuch as Western blots, in-vivo imaging,2D gels, electrophoresis stained gels, DNA/RNA and fluorescent,chemiluminescent and bioluminescent imaging. As a leading developer ofultraviolet products, UVP offers a wide range of options, including handheld,compact, bench and high-intensity UV lamps, as well as UV crosslinkers,cabinets, incubators, transilluminators and PCR systems. The company, Smithnotes, is "a specialist at customizing camera integration and control viain-house-developed software automation tools," which "enables UVP to supplycustomers with application-specific solutions, whether an entry- oradvanced-level system."
In financial year 2012, the UVP group reported sales ofapproximately $17.2 million, with over half of its sales in North America.
"This is an exciting time to be part of the imagingbusiness. The optical imaging market is being driven by a variety of needs fromcustomers who are focused on ease of use and expansion to new applications,"says Sean Gallagher, chief technology officer of UVP. "The newhigher-performance CMOS and CCD sensors are helping to drive speed andsensitivity at a reasonable cost, and the expansion of simple-to-use touchinterface computers has made 'one-touch' image capture a reality. The availabilityof an ever-increasing number of fluorescent tags to identify proteins andnucleic acids as well as track living cells in animals and plants continues todrive new applications and optical requirements."
Analytik Jena did not respond to requests for furtherinformation, but the company did note in a press release that it expects asignificant increase in revenues and earnings figures in its Life Sciencebusiness unit as a result of the acquisition. "Numerous synergies" are alsoexpected. In an April 23 ad-hocnotification, the company noted that it is forecasting sales for 2012-2013 toexceed $130 million "for the first time in the company's history."
Analytik Jena expects to see sales for its 2013-2014financial year, which begins in October, above 40 million euros (approximately$52 million), with operating earnings in the range of 4 percent to 7 percent.The company intends to enter the U.S. market as a result of this acquisitionwith the products from its Life Sciences business unit.
