Donaldson Acquires Univercells Technologies, Broadens Life Sciences Reach

Rhea-AI Summary

Donaldson Company, Inc. has acquired Univercells Technologies, a global producer of biomanufacturing solutions for cell and gene therapy. The acquisition expands Donaldson's life sciences product portfolio and aims to provide customers with a comprehensive offering. Univercells Technologies' products include a single-use bioreactor for virus production and an automated upstream platform for processing capabilities. The acquisition was made for €136 million in cash and the company generated €10 million in revenue in 2022.

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• Donaldson Company, Inc. acquires Univercells Technologies, expanding its life sciences product portfolio and providing customers with a comprehensive offering.
• Univercells Technologies' innovative biomanufacturing solutions for cell and gene therapy research, development, and commercial manufacturing have the potential to drive revenue growth for Donaldson Company, Inc.

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MINNEAPOLIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Donaldson Company, Inc. (NYSE: DCI), a leading worldwide provider of innovative filtration products and solutions, today announced the acquisition of Univercells Technologies, a global producer of innovative biomanufacturing solutions for cell and gene therapy research, development and commercial manufacturing.

Univercells Technologies’ product offering includes the unique scale-X™ single-use structured fixed-bed bioreactor for the intensified production of viruses used in cell and gene therapy, viral vaccines and other therapeutics. In addition, the Company’s automated NevoLine™ Upstream platform incorporates industry-standard filtration to provide integrated up- and mid-stream processing capabilities in a single unit driving productivity improvements, reduced operational footprints and greater consistency of results.

“The acquisition of Univercells Technologies represents an important next step in Donaldson’s life sciences strategy, as we continue to expand our product portfolio aimed at providing customers with a comprehensive, differentiated offering,” said Tod Carpenter, chairman, president and chief executive officer of Donaldson. “Univercells Technologies’ engineered systems provide close adjacencies with our previous life sciences acquisitions as well as with our growing organic product suite.”

“We are extremely excited to join Donaldson as we grow our portfolio of best-in-class biomanufacturing platforms and increase our market penetration and related installed base of equipment," said Mathias Garny, chief executive officer of Univercells Technologies. “Our technology, complemented by Donaldson’s filtration excellence and existing life sciences capabilities is part of a larger vision to bring end-to-end solutions to market for advanced therapies.”

Headquartered in Nivelles, Belgium, Univercells Technologies has over 100 employees globally. The Company generated approximately €10 million of revenue in calendar 2022 and was acquired for cash consideration of €136 million on a cash-free, debt-free basis and subject to closing adjustments. Univercells Technologies is being acquired from Gamma Biosciences and Univercells SA and will be a part of the Donaldson Life Sciences segment. Baker McKenzie acted as legal advisors to Donaldson.

Statements in this release regarding future events and expectations, such as forecasts, plans, trends and projections relating to the Company’s business and financial performance, are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and are identified by words or phrases such as “will likely result,” “are expected to,” “will continue,” “will allow,” “estimate,” “project,” “believe,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “forecast,” “plan” and similar expressions. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date such statements are made and are subject to risks and uncertainties that could affect the Company’s performance and could cause the Company’s actual results for future periods to differ materially from any opinions or statements expressed. These factors include, but are not limited to, challenges in global operations; impacts of global economic, industrial and political conditions on product demand, including the Russia and Ukraine conflict; impacts from unexpected events, including the COVID-19 pandemic; effects of unavailable raw materials or material cost inflation; inability to attract and retain qualified personnel; inability to meet customer demand; inability to maintain competitive advantages; threats from disruptive technologies; effects of highly competitive markets with pricing pressure; exposure to customer concentration in certain cyclical industries; inability to manage productivity improvements; results of execution of any acquisition, divestiture and other strategic transactions; vulnerabilities associated with information technology systems and security; inability to protect and enforce intellectual property rights; costs associated with governmental laws and regulations; impacts of foreign currency fluctuations; and effects of changes in capital and credit markets. These and other factors are described in Part I, Item 1A, “Risk Factors” of the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended July 31, 2022. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, unless required by law.

About Donaldson Company, Inc.

Founded in 1915, Donaldson (NYSE: DCI) is a global leader in technology-led filtration products and solutions, serving a broad range of industries and advanced markets. Our diverse, skilled employees at over 140 locations on six continents partner with customers—from small business owners to the world’s biggest OEM brands—to solve complex filtration challenges. Discover how Donaldson is Advancing Filtration for a Cleaner World at www.Donaldson.com.

About Univercells Technologies

Univercells Technologies is a global provider of innovative biomanufacturing technologies to achieve cost-effective advanced therapies and vaccines production from R&D to commercial scales. The Company offers a comprehensive technology portfolio leveraging the strengths of process intensification and chaining as a direct answer to the growing demand of viral vectors and viral vaccines. Univercells Technologies is committed to helping customers increase performance with minimized footprint and costs today, while anticipating the needs of tomorrow.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230629399221/en/

Sarika Dhadwal (952) 887-3753

Sarika.Dhadwal@Donaldson.com

Source: Donaldson Company, Inc.

FAQ

What is the acquisition of Univercells Technologies by Donaldson Company, Inc. about?

The acquisition is about expanding Donaldson's life sciences product portfolio and providing customers with a comprehensive offering.

What are the products offered by Univercells Technologies?

Univercells Technologies offers a single-use bioreactor for virus production and an automated upstream platform for processing capabilities.

How much revenue did Univercells Technologies generate in 2022?

Univercells Technologies generated approximately €10 million in revenue in 2022.