Strong base will fuel rebound

Article Excerpt

Beckman Coulter has suffered lately, mostly because of problems with a test kit that determines whether a patient has suffered a heart attack. Beckman recalled the test kit, which accounted for about 2% of its 2009 sales, earlier this year. The company is now working with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to fix the problem. Beckman plans to begin clinical trials of the upgraded test kit next year. The company also faces other challenges. A number of smaller pharmaceutical firms have been taken over by larger companies. That gives Beckman fewer potential customers. As well, the company’s chief executive officer recently resigned. That adds further uncertainty. We feel Beckman’s aggressive response to its quality problems will limit any long-term damage to its reputation. As well, despite the bad news, the company sold more lab equipment in the U.S. in its latest quarter, and is seeing strong growth overseas. Each new sale gives Beckman a new customer for its supplies and maintenance…