Industry News
Ceramics Manufacturer Opens Medical Implant Facility
CoorsTek (Golden, CO, USA), a manufacturer of technical ceramics and other engineered materials, has opened a facility devoted to the production of implantable ceramic components. Known as C5 Medical Werks, the branch in Grand Junction, CO, offers a range of services from prototyping to full-scale production. Product lines made at the facility include ceramic-on-ceramic hip-replacement implants, ceramic spinal implants, and ceramic dental implants. The facility is certified to ISO 13485.
For more information, contact CoorsTek, 17750 W. 32nd Ave., Golden, CO 80401, USA; phone: +1 303 2774559; fax: +1 303 2774779; e-mail: hhartman@coorstek.com; Internet: www.coorstek.com.
Machine Vision Equipment Manufacturer to Open Production Plant
Machine vision systems manufacturer Vitronic (Wiesbaden, Germany) broke ground on a production plant in Wiesbaden on 12 June. Construction is expected to be completed by the beginning of the second quarter in 2007. Designed to accommodate future expansion, the new building will offer an additional 5000 m2 for the company’s approximately 300 employees. Vitronic’s current production plant will relocate from Ginsheim-Gustavsburg to Wiesbaden, where it will be closer to the firm’s development and engineering departments.
For more information, contact Vitronic, Hasengartenstr. 14, 65189 Wiesbaden, Germany; phone: +49 611 7152361; fax: +49 611 7152133; e-mail: lucas.goebel@vitronic.de; Internet: www.vitronic.de.
Bioscience Firm Expands Industry Presence
Millipore (Billerica, MA, USA), a specialist in bioscience and bioprocess technologies, acquired the consumable biological product company Serologicals (Norcross, GA, USA) in a cash transaction valued at approximately $1.4 billion. The firm expects the acquisition to increase sales of Serologicals’ products in international markets including Europe, mainland Asia, and Japan. Assuming stable foreign exchange rates, the company believes 2007 pro forma revenues for the combined company will grow 9–11%.
The acquisition will give Millipore’s Bioscience Division a strong position in a range of high-growth segments such as drug-discovery products and services, antibodies, cell biology reagents, and stem cell research. According to the company, the merger will expand the company’s R&D capabilities and make Millipore the only company in the life science industry that can offer both upstream cell culture and downstream separation for biopharmaceutical production.
For more information, contact Millipore, 290 Concord Rd., Billerica, MA 01821, USA; phone: +1 978 7154321; fax: +1 978 7151393; e-mail: oem@millipore.com; Internet: www.millipore.com/healthcare.
Product Development Firm Opens Branch in Denmark
Specializing in products for the life science and medical technology industries, Innovation Team (Halmstad, Sweden) has opened a new office in Medicon Valley near Copenhagen to meet increased demand for product development. According to office director Kristian Bluff, approximately 60% of the Scandinavian pharmaceutical and medical industry is located in the surrounding region. The new facility will offer European and US FDA regulatory compliance services.
For more information, contact Innovation Team, Medicon Valley Div., Toldbodgade 18 5th 1253, Copenhagen, Denmark; phone:
+45 40 931133; e-mail: kristian.bluff@innovation.se; Internet: www.innovationteam.se.
Sterilization Firm Expands EtO Capability
A provider of contract sterilization services to the medical device industry has increased the capacity of its ethylene oxide (EtO) processing facility in Anse, France. The expansion provides space for two EtO sterilizers that can accommodate 32 euro-pallets each. The units are designed to coordinate with truck capacity to maximize production lot sizes. The first of the company’s pallet sterilizers is fully operational and capable of running enhanced EtO cycles with parametric release. The facility uses advanced environmental management controls to eliminate EtO emissions.
For more information, contact Sterigenics, Remylaan 4c bus 4, 3018 Leuven, Belgium; phone: +32 16 525220; fax: +32 16 525230; e-mail: info@eu.sterigenics.com; Internet: www.sterigenics.com.
Silicone Supplier Enlarges European Distribution Network
NuSil Technology (Sophia Antipolis, France), a manufacturer of silicone-based materials for healthcare, is expanding its European distribution network by partnering with raw-material specialist Velox GmbH (Hamburg, Germany). With offices in more than 10 countries in Europe, Velox will represent NuSil’s healthcare and engineering products in Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Spain, Portugal, and Turkey.
For more information, contact NuSil Technology Europe, 2740 route des Crêtes, BP 325, F-06906, Sophia Antipolis, France; phone: +33 492 969331; fax: +33 492 960637; e-mail: silicone@nusil.com; Internet: www.nusil.com.
ABHI Names New Director of Healthcare Policy
The Association of British Healthcare Industries (ABHI, London) has named Andy Taylor as its director of healthcare policy. Taylor spent 15 years at the UK Department of Health and worked most recently on the expansion of National Health Service dental-access centres. From 1996 to 1999, he ran the healthcare markets unit at the Department of Health, providing specialist advice to the government’s overseas trade services.
For more information, contact ABHI, St. George’s House, 195–203 Waterloo Rd., London SE1 8WD, UK; phone: +44 20 77873060; fax: +44 20 77873061; e-mail: enquiries@abhi.org.uk; Internet: www.abhi.org.uk.
