Biohit Oyj to arrange a directed share issue to Sartorius Lab Holding GmbH
On 19 August 2011, based on the authorisation granted by the Annual General Meeting on 13 April 2011, Biohit Oyj’s Board of Directors decided to arrange a directed share issue to Sartorius Lab Holding GmbH, an internationally leading laboratory and process technology provider. Sartorius covers the segments of biotechnology and mechatronics, providing systems and equipment for laboratory and industrial applications. On 19 August 2011, Sartorius subscribed for a total of 677,966 new series B shares of Biohit. The share issue strengthens Biohit’s financial position and opens opportunities for future collaboration with Sartorius.
“Biohit and Sartorius both stand for innovative and reliable products as well as for comprehensive service offerings. Biohit can particularly benefit from the global sales and distribution network provided by Sartorius and from the latter’s long-standing contacts with customers. This will open up attractive additional business opportunities for us,” commented Professor Osmo Suovaniemi, Biohit’s Founder and Chairman of the Board.
“Similar to our lab balances, pipettes are among the most frequently used lab instruments with ever increasing requirements regarding precision, safety, and ergonomics,” said Joachim Kreuzburg, the chief executive of Sartorius.
“Biohit is one of the most renowned providers and is setting standards in innovation and quality. We are looking forward to cooperate with Biohit in particular in marketing and sales to complement our portfolio in the lab domain”, Kreuzburg said.
Sartorius has subscribed for all shares offered, which corresponds to approximately 4.98 per cent of all Biohit shares, and 0.97 per cent of the voting rights conferred by all shares after the registration of shares. The subscription price is EUR 2.95 per share. The terms and conditions of the share issue are appended to this release.
The share issue raises the total number of Biohit shares to 13,615,593 and the number of series B shares to 10,640,093. The company’s share capital will rise from EUR 2,199,396.59 to EUR 2,314,650.81.
The new shares entitle the holder to full shareholder’s rights, including the right to any possible full dividend distributed by Biohit after the shares are registered in the trade register and entered in the list of Biohit’s shareholders. The prospective date for this is 29 August 2011. It is estimated that trading in the new shares will begin on the stock market list of NASDAQ OMX Helsinki Ltd., together with other Biohit shares, on 30 August 2011.
Helsinki, 19 August 2011
Board of Directors of Biohit Oyj
Further information:
Jussi Heiniö
President and CEO, Biohit Oyj
Tel. +358 9 773 861, mobile +358 400 701180
jussi.heinio@biohit.com
Distribution:
NASDAQ OMX Helsinki Oy
Central storage facility (www.oam.fi)
Press
www.biohit.com
Further information:
Jussi Heiniö, President and CEO
Tel: +358 (0) 9 773 861
jussi.heinio@biohit.com
Distribution:
NASDAQ OMX Helsinki Oy
Central storage facility (www.oam.fi)
Press
www.biohit.com
Biohit in brief:
Biohit is a globally operating Finnish biotechnology company that was established in 1988. The company’s mission is to improve human health and quality of life. The company follows a goal-directed and long-term innovation and patenting strategy.
Biohit works with scientific communities to produce new technologies, products and services based on research results and innovations that can be used to develop safe and cost-effective liquid handling solutions for laboratory work as well as diagnostic tests for the early detection and prevention of diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. The end users of Biohit’s products are e.g. the pharmaceutical industry, the food industry, research institutes and universities as well as the public and private healthcare sectors.
Biohit has two business segments: Liquid Handling and Diagnostics. Liquid Handling products include electronic and mechanical pipettes, disposable tips as well as pipette maintenance and calibration services. The Diagnostics business comprises products and analysis systems for the early diagnosis and prevention of gastrointestinal diseases, such as the blood-sample based GastroPanel examination for the diagnosis of stomach illnesses and associated risks, and Acetium capsules, which bind carcinogenic acetaldehyde in the stomach.
In 2010, Biohit’s net sales were MEUR 40 and the company employed approximately 400 people. Biohit is headquartered in Helsinki, Finland, and has production facilities in Helsinki, Kajaani and in Suzhou, China. It has subsidiaries in France, Germany, the UK, Russia, India, China, Japan and the USA. The company also has a representative office in Singapore. Biohit's products are also sold through about 200 distributors in 70 countries.
Biohit's Series B share is quoted on NASDAQ OMX Helsinki in the Small Cap/Healthcare group and is traded under the code BIOBV.
More information: www.biohit.com.
About Sartorius Group:
The Sartorius Group is a leading international laboratory and process technology provider covering the segments of biotechnology and mechatronics. In 2010, the technology group earned sales revenue of 659.3 million euros. Founded in 1870, the Goettingen-based company currently employs more than 4,500 persons. The major areas of activity in its biotechnology segment focus on filtration, fluid management, fermentation and cell cultivation, purification, and laboratory applications. In the mechatronics segment, the company primarily manufactures equipment and systems featuring weighing, measurement and automation technology for laboratory and industrial applications. Key Sartorius customers are from the pharmaceutical, chemical and food industries and from numerous research and educational institutes of the public sector. Sartorius has its own production facilities in Europe, Asia and America as well as sales subsidiaries and local commercial agencies in more than 110 countries.