VWR International to Become Official Name for Merck Eurolab Laboratory Distribution Companies
Darmstadt, Germany, and West Chester, Pennsylvania – VWR International Inc. will officially become the name of the world's leading distributor of scientific supplies as the Merck Eurolab companies are renamed commencing January 1, 2002, in order to strengthen the VWR brand.
VWR International, with operations in 18 countries around the globe and $2.4 billion in annual sales, was formed on January 1, 2001 when Merck KGaA combined its two wholly-owned laboratory distribution units – VWR Scientific Products of West Chester, Pennsylvania, and Merck Eurolab Group of Zaventem, Belgium. Since then, the company has continued to produce quarter after quarter of consistent sales and earnings growth and is moving steadily toward its goal of becoming the distributor of choice for people engaged in science.
"The year 2001 was a period of sound growth while also being a time of organizational change to create a single truly global company," said Walter Zywottek, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of VWR International. "Understandably, many of our European operations have continued to use their 'pre-VWR' names to maintain familiarity for their regional and local customer bases. But we think the marketplace is now ready for our organization to trade as a single brand – VWR International."
According to Zywottek, this unified brand will not only add strength to operations but is also another demonstration of Merck KGaA's commitment to take its distribution business public.
As part of establishing distribution excellence, Merck has been investing to upgrade and standardize all VWR information technology operations in Europe and to improve the IT interface with North America. VWR units throughout Central Europe, Great Britain and Scandinavia will be operating under one modern IT system by 2003. In addition, VWR continues to take advantage of it strengths at various geographic levels. Overall management of the business and servicing of international key accounts happens at the global level; the majority of marketing and sales operations remains at the regional level where they are most effective; and customer service is maintained at the very important local levels.
Merck KGaA, a 333-year-old company that has been making chemicals for laboratory scientists since 1827, entered the laboratory distribution business in 1992 with the purchase of Bender & Hobein in Germany. This and further acquisitions in Germany and other European countries were combined on January 1, 1999, into Merck Eurolab with headquarters in Zaventem, Belgium.
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