Beckman Coulter and Olympus Corporation have entered into an agreement under which Beckman will acquire the diagnostic systems portion of Olympus's Life Sciences business.
This acquisition will broaden Beckman Coulter's chemistry offering, with particular strength in larger hospital laboratories.
The transaction will also extend Beckman's chemistry customer base.
In addition, Beckman Coulter's strength in total lab automation will be complemented by Olympus's pre-analytical automation position in Europe and Asia.
This transaction is expected to close in the third quarter of 2009 and is subject to customary government approvals.
