Steris acquires Swiss decontamination company

Steris Corporation has acquired Swiss company Hamo Holding, of Pieterlen, through a subsidiary for an undisclosed amount.

Hamo is a leading provider of washing/decontamination systems used in the healthcare, pharmaceutical and research industries. The acquisition gives Steris a stronger European presence and the opportunity to offer a wider range of sterile processing solutions to customers worldwide. It also provides an established distribution channel to expand the marketing of Steris's full line of sterilisation and washing/decontamination products in Europe and Asia.

Hamo's production capacity in Europe complements Steris's recent addition of manufacturing capacity in Quebec, Canada, and will help it to meet the growth in global demand for washing/decontamination systems. This demand is being driven by an aging population and the resulting increase in surgical procedures and demand for prescription drugs, which will lead to higher levels of investment in new surgical facilities and pharmaceutical production capacity.

'This acquisition extends and enhances Steris's capability to provide our customers with a broad range of equipment, consumables and services to meet all their sterile processing and decontamination needs,' said Les C. Vinney, Steris's president and ceo. 'The addition of Hamo accelerates our international expansion efforts and provides STERIS with a more significant presence in several key markets, an important part of our growth strategy.'

Hamo had a turnover in 2002 of Sfr59m (€39.7m) and employs more than 200 people.