Sartorius postpones industrial weighing division sale

Sartorius has announced that the planned strategic divestiture of its industrial weighing division is to be put on hold for the time being.

The life science company originally announced plans to sell off the business unit at the beginning of 2012 as part of a move to concentrate on its core laboratory and bioprocess operations.

However, efforts to agree a sale with interested potential buyers have been undermined by the ongoing difficulties and uncertainties of the global economy.

Joachim Kreuzburg, chief executive officer for Sartorius, said: "Interest in this business is significant, but obtaining a selling price that reflects the value of the division is not possible at present."

During the 2012 fiscal year, the industrial weighing division reported a sales revenue of 102.7 million euros (87.95 million pounds) and an underlying earnings margin of 11.6 percent.

The Sartorius group – which achieved a 4.2 percent year-on-year revenue increase in the first quarter of 2013 – confirmed that its decision to sell the business remains unchanged.