ST. LOUIS, July 17 MO-SAFC-Supply-REACH
ST. LOUIS, July 17 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- SAFC Supply Solutions(R), a
focus area within SAFC(R), a member of the Sigma-Aldrich Group (Nasdaq: SIAL),
announced today that the Company has launched a new initiative designed
specifically to assist its customers with their regulatory requirement under
the new European Union (EU) regulation for chemicals -- Registration,
Evaluation, Authorization and restriction of Chemicals (REACH)
http://www.safcsupplysolutions.com/reach.
To help customers meet initial-phase requirements and provide an
uninterrupted supply of raw materials, several hundred SAFC products are being
pre-registered under REACH compliance and are ready for purchase. The Company
has plans to extend pre-registration to additional products it now sells and,
at customer request, to handle registration for globally-procured raw
materials beyond its existing portfolio.
Designed to improve the protection of human health and the environment
from potential chemical risk, REACH regulations require the industry to
register with the European Chemical Agency (ECHA) by December 1, 2008.
Requirements state that all chemicals imported or produced in the EU exceeding
one ton per year must be registered to provide authorities and end-users with
toxicological data and risk assessment on substance usage. As approximately
30,000 existing substances will need to go through registration, this new
requirement is expected to have a major impact in the EU and international
industry.
"SAFC's investment in the REACH pre-qualification process ensures our
customers remain compliant and will not face interruption in the supply and
procurement of their raw materials," said Ed Roullard, Vice President, SAFC
Supply Solutions. "Our proactive approach will save customers time and money,
eliminating their need to register the raw materials SAFC provides. Our
commitment to anticipating customer need in this increasingly regulated,
fast-changing international market is exemplary, helping SAFC to maintain its
position as the industry's leading supply chain partner."
SAFC's REACH initiative adds strength to its portfolio, providing
expertise in compliance, high-quality products and support, including
customized sourcing, raw material manufacturing and access to more than
100,000 starting materials - of which 46,000 that are produced in-house. The
Company aims to offer a complete customized products and services line to
alleviate the issues associated with procurement, compliance, delivery,
reliability, packaging and quality for regulated industries.
About SAFC: SAFC(R) is the custom manufacturing and services group within
Sigma-Aldrich that focuses on high-purity inorganics for high technology
applications, cell culture products and services for biopharmaceutical
manufacturing, biochemical production and the manufacturing of complex,
multi-step organic synthesis of APIs and key intermediates. SAFC has
manufacturing facilities around the world dedicated to providing manufacturing
services for companies requiring a reliable partner to produce their custom
manufactured materials. SAFC has four focus areas -- SAFC Pharma(TM), SAFC
Supply Solutions(R), SAFC Biosciences(TM), and SAFC Hitech(TM) -- and had
annual sales of nearly $600 million in 2007. SAFC is one of the world's 10
largest fine chemical businesses. For more information, visit
http://www.safcglobal.com.
About Sigma-Aldrich: Sigma-Aldrich: is a leading Life Science and High
Technology company. Its biochemical and organic chemical products and kits are
used in scientific and genomic research, biotechnology, pharmaceutical
development, the diagnosis of disease and as key components in pharmaceutical
and other high technology manufacturing. The Company has customers in life
science companies, university and government institutions, hospitals, and in
industry. Over one million scientists and technologists use its products.
Sigma-Aldrich operates in 36 countries and has 7,900 employees providing
excellent service worldwide. Sigma-Aldrich is committed to Accelerating
Customer Success through Leadership in Life Science, High Technology and
Service. For more information about Sigma-Aldrich, please visit its
award-winning Web site at http://www.sigma-aldrich.com.
Cautionary Statement: This release contains forward-looking statements
relating to future performance, goals, strategic actions and initiatives and
similar intentions and beliefs and other statements regarding the Company's
expectations, goals, beliefs, intentions and the like, which involve
assumptions regarding the Company's operations and conditions in the markets
the Company serves. The Company does not undertake any obligation to update
these forward-looking statements.
SAFC(R), SAFC Supply Solutions(R) and Sigma-Aldrich(R) are registered
trademarks and SAFC Pharma(TM), SAFC Biosciences(TM) and SAFC Hitech(TM) are
trademarks of Sigma-Aldrich Biotechnology L.P. and Sigma-Aldrich Co.
SOURCE Sigma-Aldrich
