DANBURY, Conn., April 11, 2007 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- ATMI LifeSciences and Austar have created a joint venture, ATMI Austar LifeSciences, Ltd., to produce and market high-end, ultra-clean sterile materials packaging for the pharmaceutical industry in the Asia-Pacific region.
"This joint venture provides ATMI LifeSciences access to the active pharmaceutical ingredient and biopharmaceutical markets in Asia as well production capacity in addition to our Belgian operation," said Mario Philips, Managing Director of ATMI LifeSciences. "Austar offers broad expertise and an existing ISO Class V GMP-certified cleanroom-based infrastructure that we can begin to leverage immediately. Together, under the ATMI Austar LifeSciences banner, we are working to create a new standard for advanced materials packaging for pharmaceutical manufacturing throughout the region."
"More flexibility at lower cost means the pharmaceutical manufacturers are converting to the film-based, single-use packaging products that ATMI Austar LifeSciences will be able to provide locally," said Mars Ho, Chief Executive Officer of Austar. "The pharmaceutical market in Asia is expanding rapidly as more multinational firms look to extend their manufacturing capabilities into this vital region. Local supply and support is an important competitive differentiator."
Under the joint venture agreement, ATMI Austar LifeSciences will be producing ATMI LifeSciences products, including CleanSteam(r) products, with local blow-film extrusion and packaging converting lines using a copy-exact strategy.
About ATMI LifeSciences
ATMI has recently established a product line under an ATMI LifeSciences banner focused on biopharmaceutical applications with flexible, film-based packaging products ranging from single-use mixing and storage vessels to ultraclean sterile containers. ATMI LifeSciences is a source of manufacturing efficiency to its biopharmaceutical customers, providing single-use smart processing and packaging technology solutions that maximize product integrity. Further information can be found at http://www.atmi-lifesciences.com.
About Austar
Austar is a comprehensive service provider to the China pharmaceutical industry. Customers include multinational pharmaceutical companies and scientific research institutions. Founded in Hong Kong in 1991, Austar provides engineering design and project management services, technical support services, and Good Manufacturing Practices consultancy through its branch offices and companies in Beijing, Shanghai, Shijiazhuang, Guangzhou, and Chengdu in China. More information is available at http://www.austar.com.cn.
ATMI provides specialty materials and high-purity materials handling and delivery solutions to the worldwide semiconductor industry. As The Source of Semiconductor Process Efficiency, ATMI helps customers improve wafer yields and lower operating costs. For more information, please visit atmi.com.
Statements contained herein that relate to ATMI's future performance, including, without limitation, statements with respect to ATMI's anticipated results of operations or level of business for 2007 or any other future period, are forward-looking statements within the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such statements are based on current expectations only and are subject to certain risks, uncertainties, and assumptions, including, but not limited to, changes in semiconductor industry growth (including, without limitation, wafer starts) or ATMI's markets; competition, problems, or delays developing and commercializing new products; problems or delays in integrating acquired operations and businesses; and other factors described in ATMI's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Such risks and uncertainties may cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in our forward-looking statements. ATMI undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements.