Apr 3 2008
To support its growth strategy in Safety & Protection products, DuPont intends to purchase the Industrial Apparel line of Cardinal Health's Scientific and Production Products business, which manufactures and markets a variety of products used in cleanrooms and other controlled environments. Terms were not disclosed.
The DuPont Personal Protection portfolio of controlled environment products includes Tyvek® IsoClean™ garments that help protect workers and critical products and processes.
The agreement includes the transfer of the existing inventory and intellectual property related to industrial garments including the Micro-Clean® brand. It will allow DuPont, already a leading manufacturer of fabrics and garments for industrial safety and emergency response, to provide a broader offering for the marketplace. Cardinal Health will retain its hospital apparel product line along with its industrial gloves offering.
"This acquisition builds on DuPont's long-standing role as a premier provider of innovative technologies that help protect people and critical processes," said Mark Vergnano, group vice president, DuPont Safety & Protection. "It also enhances DuPont's industrial garment portfolio, allowing us to grow our offering to customers with an expanded range of consumables for controlled environments, including life sciences and electronics manufacturing sites."
The acquisition is part of the DuPont Safety & Protection strategy to expand the company's presence in consumables in the controlled environment market space. It also complements the company's current offering, making DuPont a leading source for a variety of products, including disposable garments and accessories, cleanroom wipes and disinfectants.
According to industry estimates, the life sciences consumables segment totals approximately USD 1 billion globally, including garments, wipes and disinfectants, among others. The estimated demand for disposable and reusable garments alone is USD 280 million globally.