Empresas y finanzas

Evans Analytical Group LLC Closes 2006 with Acquisitions of Cascade Scientific, Shiva Technologies and Nano Science



    Evans Analytical Group LLC ("EAG"), the leading global provider of
    microanalytical surface analysis and materials characterization
    services, announced today that in the last two weeks of December, it
    has acquired five additional companies: Cascade Scientific Ltd. and
    Cascade Scientific GmbH (collectively "Cascade Scientific"); Nano
    Science Corporation ("Nano Science"); Shiva Technologies, Inc. and
    Shiva Technologies Europe SARL (collectively "Shiva Technologies").
    EAG has also signed a Letter of Intent to acquire Shiva Technologies'
    affiliated lab in Bangalore, India.

    "With these transactions, we continue the strategic expansion plan
    we established early in 2006, making EAG the most comprehensive and
    accessible independent surface analysis and materials characterization
    services provider in the world," said Tom Pfeil, EAG CEO. "We now
    offer over twenty-five major surface analysis techniques, and have
    analytical service labs in the key global areas, allowing us to
    efficiently offer the complete suite of EAG analytical solutions
    through each location. The truly exciting result of these acquisitions
    and our overall expansion plan is that we have not only significantly
    increased our scale and technique suite, but we have done so without
    compromising quality. EAG has brought together a highly talented
    scientific team that is able to innovate and advance analytical
    applications in step with industry needs today and tomorrow."

    Expanded Global Reach

    By expanding its analytical laboratory footprint from six to
    fifteen locations across seven countries covering strategic regions
    throughout Asia, the UK, continental Europe and the US, EAG is now
    able to bring its comprehensive suite of analytical services directly
    to its customers in every market:

    -- The addition of Cascade Scientific gives EAG a highly
    respected team of scientists and established surface analysis
    labs in the UK and Germany.

    -- Shiva Technologies, the world leader in GDMS services, adds
    expert analytical teams and labs in New York and France.

    -- Nano Science, a long time strategic partner to both EAG and
    Shiva Technologies, adds a highly regarded technical sales and
    customer service operation in Tokyo, Japan.

    World Class GDMS and Laser Ablation ICP-MS Services

    The acquisition of Shiva Technologies brings to EAG a formidable
    leadership position in Glow Discharge Mass Spectrometry (GDMS)
    analytical services. GDMS is an extremely powerful tool for performing
    trace and ultra-trace elemental analysis on inorganic solid materials
    such as metals and alloys, semiconductors, ceramics, glasses,
    carbides, salts as well as thin films and coatings. Shiva Technologies
    also brings to EAG Laser Ablation Inductively Coupled Plasma - Mass
    Spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS). One of the key advantages of this technique
    is its ability to analyze small spots (as small as 5 um). LA-ICP-MS
    can perform elemental characterization of items of interest such as
    spots, stains, corrosion, weld areas, etc. Moreover, since the
    technique samples materials directly, sample preparation issues are
    minimal and dilution effects, common to solution-based techniques, do
    not exist.

    About Cascade Scientific

    Founded in 1988, Cascade Scientific Ltd., located in London, UK,
    and its sister company Cascade Scientific GmbH, located in Frankfurt,
    Germany, comprise the premier semiconductor analysis company in
    Europe, specializing in the analysis of silicon-based and
    optoelectronic devices at all stages of fabrication. Analytical
    capabilities include, SIMS, TOF-SIMS, TXRF, XPS, AES, AFM-STM and SRP.

    About Shiva Technologies

    Founded in 1990, Shiva Technologies located in Syracuse, New York,
    along with sister company Shiva Technologies Europe SARL located in
    Tournefeuille, France, is by far the largest analytical services
    provider specifically dedicated to bringing the advanced and powerful
    capabilities of Glow Discharge Mass Spectrometry (GDMS) to
    organizations involved in high purity material research and
    production. Shiva Technologies is the global leader in the application
    of GDMS to the analysis of all types of inorganic solid materials:
    metals and alloys, semiconductors, ceramics, glasses, carbides, salts
    as well as thin films and coatings. Shiva Technologies also offers
    expert services in Laser Ablation ICP-MS, ICP-OES and IGA.

    About Nano Science

    Nano Science has been a technical sales and customer service
    partner in Japan for both EAG and Shiva Technologies for many years.
    The company has earned a reputation in Japan for providing excellent
    technical support and responsive customer service to a wide range of
    industries. Nano Science's technical sales and service staff is
    composed of former surface science analysts who are uniquely qualified
    to provide value-add initial consultation and post-analysis support to
    the local customer base.

    About Evans Analytical Group

    Founded in 1978, Evans Analytical Group (EAG) is the world's
    leading full service commercial analytical lab network serving a
    diversified high technology and industrial customer base of over 2,000
    companies in over 35 countries. EAG provides a comprehensive suite of
    microanalytical imaging, surface analysis and materials
    characterization services as well as semiconductor circuit repair and
    failure analysis testing. EAG's services are a critical enabling
    component in research & development, manufacturing and sales support
    functions, and are used specifically in developing new processes or
    materials, transferring those processes to production, developing and
    qualifying new production tools, and solving manufacturing yield
    problems. Headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, EAG also has
    facilities in Arizona, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York,
    North Carolina, Texas, China, France, Germany, Japan, Taiwan, and the
    United Kingdom as well as sales/support offices in Korea, and
    Singapore. (www.eaglabs.com)

    FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

    Statements contained in this Press Release that are not historical
    facts may be "forward-looking" statements as the term is defined in
    the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. To identify
    these forward-looking statements look for words like "believes",
    "expects", "may", "should", "seeks", "intends", "plans", "projects",
    "estimates", or "anticipates" and similar words or phrases. These, and
    all forward-looking statements, are based on current expectations and
    necessarily are subject to risks and uncertainties which could cause
    actual results to differ materially from those currently anticipated
    due to a number of factors which include, but are not limited to, our
    ability to achieve our objectives and the ability to maintain and
    consolidate our leading global market position. We caution readers not
    to rely on forward-looking statements, and we disclaim any intent or
    obligation to update these forward-looking statements.