Malvern Instruments Acquires Spectral Dimensions Inc.


Chemical imaging technology adds exciting new capabilities to Malvern range

4 July 2006 Malvern, UK: Malvern Instruments Ltd (Malvern, Worcs, UK), a world leader in particle and rheological characterization systems, has acquired the assets of Spectral Dimensions, Inc. (Olney MD, USA) a privately held company producing near infrared (NIR) chemical imaging instrumentation and software. Spectral Dimensions will cease trading and the organization will be integrated into Malvern's US subsidiary, Malvern Instruments Inc. (Southborough, MA). The chemical imaging development and applications teams will continue to operate from the former Spectral Dimensions facility in Maryland. Financial terms were not disclosed.

"Spectral Dimensions leads the field in chemical imaging technology," commented Paul Walker, Managing Director of Malvern Instruments. "The company has a strong team with a wealth of scientific and technical expertise, and has developed a suite of chemical imaging solutions. Its established customer base is primarily in the pharmaceutical industry. Here its systems are making a significant contribution to improving formulation and manufacturing processes, supporting manufacturers in achieving the goals set out as part of the FDA's PAT initiative."

He went on to add, "The pharmaceutical industry is a key market for Malvern Instruments. We work very closely with the industry to fully understand its needs, and our analytical instruments are developed to meet the stringent regulations to which this sector is subject. The addition of chemical imaging technology to our range means that we can extend the support that we provide, adding further value, particularly in the challenging areas of blending and tabletting, and providing synergy with our existing particle characterization systems."

Spectral Dimensions' founder and President, Dr E Neil Lewis, is a renowned expert in spectroscopy and imaging techniques. He is looking forward to capitalizing on the extended opportunities that will come from being part of an established global manufacturing, sales and marketing organization.

"Spectral Dimensions began operations in November 1998 in response to demands for new, powerful chemical imaging technologies," he said. "Thanks to our high calibre team, we have achieved the company's original goal to develop, manufacture, and market revolutionary products for improving the efficiency, understanding, and profitability of pharmaceutical formulation and production. We have an exciting time ahead. Our chemical imaging solutions fit extremely well with Malvern's established product range, and furthermore Malvern's relationship with the pharmaceutical industry as a longstanding and trusted supplier will ensure continued growth and development in this field."

Malvern Instruments has its origins and headquarters in Malvern, UK. The company currently employs around 320 people. A global sales and service network includes subsidiary companies in all major European markets, North America, China, Korea and Japan, as well as key partnerships in India. In addition, more than 75 local distribution partners ensure that Malvern products are installed in almost every country of the world. www.malvern.com

For press information, please contact
Trish Appleton, Kapler Communications, Suite 2, Cressner House,
12 Huntingdon Street, St Neots, Cambridgeshire, PE19 1BD, UK
Tel: +44 (0) 1480 471117; Fax: +44 (0) 1480 471118; trish@kapleronline.com

USA contact:
Marisa Fraser, Malvern Instruments Inc
Malvern Instruments Ltd
10 Southville Road
Southborough, MA 01772, USA
Tel: +1 508 480 0200
Fax: +1 508 460 9692
marisa.fraser@malvernusa.com

www.malvern.com
Alison Vines, Malvern
Enigma Business Park, Grovewood Road
WR14 1XZ
Tel: +44 (0) 1684 892456
Fax: +44 (0) 1684 892789
salesinfo@malvern.co.uk

1. About Malvern Instruments Ltd
Malvern Instruments Ltd is a world leading manufacturer and supplier of analytical instrumentation - particle and rheology characterization systems - used in the understanding and characterization of a wide range of materials and industrial processes.

The company was founded more than 30 years ago in Malvern, Worcestershire, UK. Its modern global headquarters are situated on the town's Enigma Business Park and is home to all manufacturing, product development, global sales, marketing and support.

Malvern serves a truly global market place with over 92% of its sales being made outside the UK. The company has subsidiaries in all major European markets, North America, China, Korea and Japan, key partnerships in India, and an established network of distributors and representatives throughout the world. Sustained growth in export sales culminated in the company receiving a 2006 Queen's Award for Enterprise in International Trade, its fourth such honour.

Malvern's product range includes novel techniques for characterizing particle size and shape in virtually all types of industrial materials. The company offers innovative products for the characterization of sprays, and award-winning solutions for measuring nano-sized particles. Economic and competitive pressures faced by manufacturing industry continue to drive the growing demand for Malvern's on-line analytical systems, which have an important role in optimizing industrial processes.

Malvern Instruments Ltd is part of Spectris plc, the precision instrumentation and controls company group. www.spectris.com

Headquarters: Malvern Instruments Ltd., Enigma Business Park, Grovewood Road
Malvern, Worcestershire, UK WR14 1XZ
Tel: +44 (0) 1684 892456 Fax: +44 (0) 1684 892789
www.malvern.com

Subsidiaries in: USA, Germany, France, Sweden, Nordic region,
Japan, China, Korea

Distributors: Worldwide

Product range: Full details at www.malvern.com

Media contact: Trish Appleton, Kapler Communications Ltd
Tel: +44 (0) 1480 471117 Fax: +44 (0) 1480 471118
trish@kapleronline.com

2. About Spectral Dimensions Inc.
Spectral Dimensions, Inc. is a privately held company based in Olney, MD, USA. It manufactures near infrared (NIR) chemical imaging instrumentation and software and began operations in November 1998 to meet an increasing demand for new and powerful spectroscopic imaging technologies. Today it is the world leader in NIR chemical imaging systems.

Spectral Dimensions offers a suite of comprehensive chemical imaging solutions which deliver continuity of measurement from the laboratory through to the process floor.

The company's goal has been to manufacture and market revolutionary products that set the industry standard for improving the efficiency, understanding and profitability of pharmaceutical formulation and production. These products help transform the design, scale-up, and quality assessment of pharmaceuticals and other high-value heterogeneous materials.

3. What is chemical imaging?

Chemical imaging is an exciting new analytical approach that enables the identification and spatial localization of chemical species in a sample. In very simple terms it can be considered as a chemical map.

By combining traditional near infrared spectroscopy with microscopic and macroscopic imaging, a single rapid measurement enables analysts to obtain quantitative spatial and spectral information with unprecedented ease. The approach aims to provide a comprehensive analysis of complex heterogeneous samples.

It is well known that the spatial distribution of components in complex materials strongly influences both physical and chemical properties. Chemical imaging has found many uses in the pharmaceutical industry, polymer sciences, material sciences, forensics and pathology, as well as industrial quality and process control.

In the pharmaceutical industry, for example, chemical imaging of solid dosage forms can be used to determine: sample content uniformity; domain size characteristics; distribution of components (blending); polymorph distribution; moisture content; location of contaminants; coating and layer thickness.

An understanding of these characteristics enables: the manufacture of products with superior performance; identification of the critical characteristics that affect product manufacturability and scale-up; forensic examination of bad lots or failing batches of final product; identification of counterfeit products.

For more information: www.malvern.com/chemical-imaging

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