April 1, 2008 — /PRNewswire/ — WILMINGTON, DE — To support its growth strategy in safety and protection products, DuPont (NYSE:DD) today announces its intent 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 agreement includes the transfer of the existing inventory and intellectual property related to industrial garments including the Micro-CleanR 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,” says Mark P. Vergnano, group vice president, DuPont Safety and 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 and 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 $1 billion globally, including garments, wipes, and disinfectants, among others. The estimated demand for disposable and reusable garments alone is $280 million globally.
Other products DuPont offers that help protect critical products and processes as well as enhance worker safety include:
- DuPont TyvekR, Tyvek IsoCleanTM, SuprelR LS, and ProCleanR apparel
- DuPont RelyOnTM disinfectants to reduce the exposure to, and spread of, viruses
- DuPont SontaraR wipes to help reduce contaminants in manufacturing and other areas where they can destroy product efficacy or safety
Cleanrooms and other controlled environments are used to manufacture products that are highly sensitive to contamination, so they require special controls that minimize the release of particles, microorganisms, or chemicals. Contaminants may come from a variety of sources, including human activities, materials, or even from the air flow into the environment.
This transaction will enable DuPont to offer a broad range of cleanroom garments to help minimize human impact, as well as wipes and disinfectants to aid in controlling surface contamination in cleanrooms and controlled environments.
DuPont is committed to protecting people. From first responders to industrial workers, DuPont provides protective apparel solutions to meet safety needs. The DuPont Safety and Protection segment includes DuPont Advanced Fiber Systems, DuPont Nonwovens, DuPont Building Innovations, DuPont Chemical Solutions Enterprise, and DuPont Safety Resources. In 2007, the segment’s revenues totaled $5.6 billion.
About DuPont
DuPont is a science-based products and services company. Founded in 1802, DuPont puts science to work by creating sustainable solutions essential to a better, safer, healthier life for people everywhere. Operating in more than 70 countries, DuPont offers a wide range of innovative products and services for markets including agriculture and food; building and construction; communications; and transportation.
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