Fluorotechnics signs up Wako for Japan push
proteomics products in Japan and so has signed up Osaka firm Wako
Pure Chemical Industries to help.
The Japanese firm will act as Fluorotechnics' marketing and distribution partner for its fluorescence-based kits for the staining, detection and quantification of proteins and peptides in electrophoresis gels, on blots or in solutions. "Japan is amongst the most important markets for the high-end proteomics products in which Fluorotechnics specializes," explained CEO Duncan Veal. "We are delighted to have Wako as our partner in this market. Wako has an excellent reputation as a reliable supplier of quality products. We are particularly impressed by their plans to offer a complete solution to their proteomics customers." Fluorotechnics believes its products are more environmentally friendly than other assays (being non-toxic and not based on heavy metals) and so is hoping to take advantage of a more general push by most industries to become greener. The company also believes they are more sensitive. The general manager of Wako echoed these sentiments, saying: "[These products] solve many problems with exiting stains such as low sensitivity, toxicity, as well as the irreversible changes they cause to protein and peptides." From the time when it was founded in 2002, the firm had been selling its products through GE Healthcare Biosciences, Sigma-Aldrich and Active Motif before also beginning to sell them directly to customers in October 2006. Since then Fluorotechnics, which also produces new technologies for protease monitoring and intracellular imaging of live cells, has made a concerted effort to expand its reach into the global market. It signed partnerships with:
In Vitro Technologies as a sales and marketing partner for Australia and New Zealand.
Biomed Diagnostics as a sales and marketing partner for Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand.
Chayon Laboratories as its Korean partner.
Dakewe Biotech as a sales and marketing partner for China
InterChim as sales and marketing partner for France.
Most recently, Fluorotechnics also expanded its global capacity via the November acquisition of German firm ETC Elektrophoresis-Technik. ETC develops and manufactures high-end electrophoresis consumables and equipment used for diagnostics, quality control and species identification. The firm also recently appointed ex-GE Healthcare strategic marketing director Günter Theßeling to head its sales and marketing team.
