Sartorius expresses satisfaction with Q1 2012 performance

Sartorius has reported strong growth with its financial performance during the first quarter of 2012, a period characterised by gains in order intake, sales revenue and earnings.

Business revenue rose by 20.9 percent year over year to 208.1 million euros (169.67 million pounds) and order intake increased by 13.7 percent, with all three group divisions contributing to this trend.

The acquisition of Biohit's liquid handling business at the end of 2011 contributed around six percentage points to the quarterly sales gain, while double-digit growth was seen across all regions.

It is now anticipated that Sartorius will achieve a full-year sales increase of around ten percent compared to 2011.

Dr Joachim Kreuzburg, chief executive officer at Sartorius, said: "It is encouraging that we have made such good headway in implementing our investment projects and growth initiatives. We are accordingly confident in looking ahead to the remainder of the year."

In 2011, the company generated 733.1 million euros in sales across the whole year, up by 11 percent compared to 2010.