Gerresheimer Establishes Life-Science Joint Venture with Thermo Fisher Scientific

The new joint venture company “Kimble/Chase Life Scienceware” ideally complements the Gerresheimer range of innovative products based on glass and plastic.

24/03/07 Gerresheimer has agreed with the US company Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. (TMO) to establish a joint venture company under the name “Kimble/Chase Life Scienceware LLC”. The company will be based in New Jersey/USA. Gerresheimer contributes its life-science business to the new company in parallel with certain laboratory glassware product lines of Thermo Fisher Scientific, thereby creating one of the leading worldwide producers of special glass products in the life-science research sector. With 51% of the shares, Gerresheimer has a majority in the new joint venture company. It will employ around 1,500 people in 7 plants in the USA, Mexico, China and Germany. The closing of the joint venture is subject to customary closing conditions, including applicable regulatory approvals.

A joint venture with Thermo Fisher Scientific for life-science products in the area of marketing and distribution has already existed since 2001. “The new agreement provides an ideal combination which makes us a top global supplier in the important market segment of life-science research,” says Dr. Axel Herberg, President and CEO of the Gerresheimer Group. Gerresheimer contributes production facilities in the USA, Mexico and China, while Thermo Fisher contributes production facilities in the USA and Germany.

The new joint venture company “Kimble/Chase Life Scienceware” ideally complements the Gerresheimer range of innovative products based on glass and plastic. It marks an important step for Gerresheimer in its targeted development into a global pharma/life-science Group. The products of the new joint venture are used in industrial pharmaceutical R & D. They are supplied among others under the Kimble, Kontes and Bomex trademarks.