Lab and process equipment company Sartorius has released its preliminary figures for 2006 ahead of its 13 March year-end, which shows that the group met its sales revenue target over the fiscal year. The firm also reported a rise in operations profit of €52.1m, 19.2 per cent higher than in 2005.
The company's biotechnology division performed better than last year with a sales rise of 8.5 per cent €271m, while operating profit rose 31 per cent to €31.8m. It was the firm's switch from reusable stainless steel products to plastic disposables that boosted the division's performance and led to an undisclosed double-digit growth rate.
The biotechnology division, which covers a broad range of products such as filtration, cell culture and bioprocessing also saw its order intake rise by 5.6 per cent in comparison to 2005.
On a regional note, the firm said the biotechnology division achieved the highest growth in Europe, while disappointing figures for the North American and Asian market were attributed to a declining demand for engineering projects, such as installation of 10,000-liter fermenters. But, these projects are only a small part of the business, said the company.
"We reached our growth and earnings targets and, beyond this, have moved forward with our key future project. As a result, we have sustainably improved our market positioning," said Joachim Kreuzburg, CEO of Sartorius, and added that the biotechnology division will systematically expand its product array in disposables for the pharmaceutical industry.
"Our new alliances, the acquisition of Toha Plast and the expansion of our own R&D capacity levels will help us become even faster in bringing innovative solutions to the market."