MWG Biotech AG – Continuation of THEONYX lab automation line secured through AVISO GmbH
MWG Biotech AG, Ebersberg, Germany announces the transfer of its lab automation business including the THEONYX liquid handling platform to the automation specialist AVISO GmbH, Greiz, Germany, effective February 1. With this transaction the international continuation of the innovative robotics line is secured on a high quality level through AVISO GmbH. AVISO will also take over 15 of MWG Biotech’s former lab automation employees. All servicing and warranty services will be continued by AVISO GmbH. In the Western part of the US Synquatech Inc, a spin-out of MWG employees led by Michael Winniman, will take over the lab automation services and sales as an AVISO partner. All other areas will be directly served by AVISO.
Transaction details were not disclosed.
“With this transaction MWG Biotech AG closes a major chapter of its restructuring process. At the same time this solution ensures that MWG Biotech’s PCR and liquid handling system customers will continue to receive competent high quality services. We are happy that the innovative THEONYX Liquid Handling platform will now be further developed in the market by AVISO GmbH”, says Dr. Wolfgang Pieken, Speaker of the Management Board of MWG Biotech AG.
“This purchase is an important milestone in our corporate strategy. The highly innovative THEONYX product ideally complements our ANDROMEDA systems line. Concentrating on our respective core businesses offers the customers of both our Companies an increased level of competence and opens them completely new perspectives”, says Reinhard Herrmann, Managing Partner of AVISO GmbH.
The rest of MWG Biotech’s former lab automation business was wound down by the end of 2004. As announced in fall, MWG Biotech’s Genomic Diagnosis business line (microarrays) was closed at the end of December 2004, thus ensuring that no further running cost will accrue from this business line in 2005 and the following years. Nevertheless, the Company is still interested in selling certain assets of this business unit. However, a residual amount of one-time restructuring costs will impact the 2005 result.
MWG Biotech AG (www.THE-MWG.com ) is an international provider of DNA sequencing and DNA/RNA synthesis services for academic and industrial research with production sites in Germany, the US, and India. With products and services in consistently high quality the company creates the platform for success in the life sciences today and for a better life tomorrow.
AVISO GmbH is a specialist for mechatronic solutions for the international lab world. AVISO develops and produces system solutions to customer specifications based on providing the complete core know how from software to final system out of one hand. The Company’s CellCelector(TM) – a proprietary development for cell biology – will be internationally launched in 2005 (www.cellcelector.com ). This new system will offer unprecedented cell selection and harvesting possibilities.
