Esco Micro opens office in India
Singapore-based Esco Micro Pte Ltd, a 9000/ ISO14000 certified manufacturer of Laminar Airflow, Biohazard Safety and other HEPA / ULPA filtered cabinets has started operations in India.
"India has been identified as one of the key markets for Esco's activities and the local operations in Mumbai shall provide better support for efficient after-sales services and validation services," said Lim, chief executive officer, Esco Micro Pte Ltd.
Esco's equipments like Laminar Airflow and Biohazard Safety Cabinets have been independently tested and certified to international standards such as NSF49, EN12469 and AS1807.5. These equipments are designed for optimum laboratory ergonomics with operator comfort and safety in mind. Esco uses ULPA filters for higher efficiency filtration as compared to conventional HEPA filters.
The in-house R&D and Quality control department includes microbiological testing facility and KI discus containment testing in accordance with international Standards like NSF49 (American Standard) and EN 12469 (European standard).
The Indian office of Esco along with other support activities will carry out a Biosafety Awareness Program throughout the country. These seminars would share the information about the latest international standards and guidelines on biosafety.
Bio-Rad signs pact with Caliper
Bio-Rad Laboratories and Caliper Life Sciences announced a new collaboration under which the companies will study the feasibility of developing a new microfluidics system platform. The two companies' previous collaboration, initiated in mid-2003, resulted in the successful launch of a new microfluidics-based electrophoresis product, Experion.
"We are looking forward to this next collaboration where we will pursue new ideas regarding LabChip microfluidics as the foundation for innovative, new products," said Norman Schwartz, president and CEO, Bio-Rad.
Kevin Hrusovsky, Caliper's president and CEO, said, "Bio-Rad is a model partner for our 'Caliper Driven' program, under which we enable life science companies like Bio-Rad to tap into our innovative technologies, expertise and patent portfolio. Their strong reputation and their well-established global distribution very effectively leverage our technology into key markets."
Waters strengthens ACQUITY Ultra Performance LCSystem Product Line
Waters Corporation has announced the availability of three advanced detectors specifically designed for Waters ACQUITY Ultra Performance LC (UPLC) System. The three detectors are photodiode array (PDA), evaporative light scattering (ELS) and tunable ultraviolet (TUV) models and bring new versatility to the ACQUITY UPLC System for high-resolution analysis of a wide variety of compounds.
The Waters ACQUITY UPLC is a liquid chromatography system that brings laboratories new levels of resolution, sensitivity, speed, and productivity. Whether the scientists are working on new drugs, looking for markers of disease, detecting low level contamination of food or drinking water supplies, recent advances in detector technology mean that scientists using the company's ACQUITY UPLC System platform can obtain more information per unit of time in the laboratory.
Optimized for Ultra Performance LC, these detectors are designed for low dispersion characteristics, high data acquisition rates, and robust performance. Programming and monitoring is easily controlled from within Waters Empower chromatography software or MassLynx mass spectrometry software.
SAS maintains its position in business intelligence
SAS continues its position as a leading business intelligence (BI) vendor, according to Gartner, a prominent analyst firm. Based on 2004 new license sales for both regions, Gartner's ranking shows SAS to be the No.1 BI vendor in terms of revenue in Asia Pacific with 17.5 percent share of revenue and No. 2 in EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) with 17.4 percent BI market share. According to Gartner, the top six countries (based on new license revenue) in the Asia Pacific region include Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea, China and Hong Kong.
SAS Enterprise BI Server, a major component of the SAS 9 Enterprise Intelligence Platform, is an integral factor of SAS' growth in the BI space. The SAS 9 platform empowers users at all levels of an organization by giving them targeted interfaces to support their individual needs and skills. SAS Enterprise BI Server provides a suite of BI functions including reporting, query and analysis, OLAP, integrated analytics, visualization, and integration with Microsoft Office environments.
BD Diagnostics, TimeMed collaborate on First Notched Overlabel
BD Diagnostics-Preanalytical Systems, a unit of BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company), and TimeMed Labeling Systems announced collaboration intended to help minimize misaligned labeling errors associated with blood specimen collection and analysis, thus improving laboratory efficiency. A recently restyled BD Vacutainer Plus Plastic Tube label includes patented visual guide technology for proper placement of secondary labeling. When used in conjunction with the v-notch label manufactured by TimeMed, positioning of secondary labels becomes much easier and helps reduce errors.
"The proper placement of barcoded secondary labeling is extremely important. Misaligned labels may create problems with sample visibility, identification of tube type in the event of removed closure, ability to identify the fill indicator, or inconsistent bar code locations," said Ana Stankovic, worldwide medical affairs director, BD Diagnostics – Preanalytical Systems.
