Tecan establishes a new fully owned subsidiary in Sweden to expand its presence in the Nordic region

• Tecan Nordic AB serves key countries in the region
• Further geographical expansion strengthens presence in Northern Europe
• Close proximity to leading pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, universities and research institutes active in the Life Sciences

Zurich, Switzerland, 6 November 2001 –  Tecan, a leading player in the fast-growing Life Sciences supply industry, today announced that it has opened a new fully owned subsidiary in Sweden following the takeover of the automation team of its former distributor Lambda Instruments.  This move has resulted from a very close and amicable collaboration with PLD Nordic AB, the parent company of Lambda Instruments. The new facility, which is based in Gothenberg, is a significant addition to Tecan’s presence in Europe and serves the company’s key business interests in the Nordic region.

The move brings with it the knowledge of the highly experienced employees of Lambda Instruments who have joined Tecan Nordic AB. Paul Mitchell, Managing Director of Tecan UK and the person responsible for Tecan’s Nordic business region, commented: “ We have been very impressed both by the commitment of the employees of Lambda Instruments to the foundation of Tecan Nordic AB and the outstanding cooperation of PLD Nordic AB in enabling Tecan to move forward with this venture. This ambitious project brings significant benefits to all of our existing customers and future partners in the region.”

Tecan Nordic AB is situated in the building currently occupied by Lambda Instruments, but plans are in place to move to a new location nearby in the new year. Initially, the subsidiary will provide customer service, sales and application support through national networks  in Sweden. Tecan Nordic AB will expand further to strengthen its presence and network of customer representatives in other Nordic countries whilst working closely with the distributors in these countries. This will include the provision of services from facilities located directly in each of these Nordic countries.

Tecan Nordic AB provides an important link in the network of Tecan locations in Northern Europe. The Nordic area is one of the key centers for many leading pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies and it profits from the presence of prestigious academic and research institutes. Tecan will work closely with these partners as it develops further its business interests in Genomics, Proteomics, Drug Discovery and Clinical Diagnostics. Emile Sutcliffe, Chief Executive Officer of the Tecan Group, commented: “We are extremely pleased to be opening a new office in Sweden to cater for our key markets in the Nordic region. This expansion reflects both the continuing growth of our company and our commitment to bring the best possible service to our customers worldwide.  He added: “We look forward to working closely with the Life Sciences community in the Nordic area.”

Tecan (www.tecan.com) is a leading player in the fast growing Life Sciences supply industry that specializes in the development, production, and distribution of solutions enabling the discovery of pharmaceutical substances, as well as for genomics, proteomics, and diagnostics. Tecan clients are leading pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, university research departments and diagnostic laboratories. Founded in Switzerland in 1980, the company has manufacturing, research and development sites in both North America and Europe and maintains a sales and service network in 52 countries. In 2000, Tecan achieved sales of CHF 273.5 million (USD 162 million; EUR 175 million). Registered shares of Tecan Group are traded on the Swiss SWX stock exchange (TK: TECN / Reuters: TECZn.S / Valor : 707821).
 

For more information, please contact:

Tecan Group Ltd.

Annabelle Brameshuber
Corporate Communications
Tel.: +41 (0)44 922 8430
e-mail: investor@tecan.com