Among the thousands of products lining supermarket shelves, many share a common ingredient – they have all passed strict hygiene tests using equipment developed by Biotrace International.

From its headquarters in Bridgend, South Wales, Biotrace delivers rapid hygiene testing and microbial screening across the world’s food, industrial, medical and military sectors. This global reach contrasts sharply to Biotrace’s origins in Cardiff in 1988, when the company only served the UK market.

Driven by a global vision, Biotrace sought international recognition for Uni-Lite™ - its revolutionary product that offered a quick and easy way to test food hygiene. To realise this vision, the company listed on the London Stock Exchange in 1993, raising net proceeds of £10 million. A total of £6 million went toward promoting Uni-Lite.

“The listing provided the means to launch Uni-Lite globally, which thrust the company on to the world stage,” says Ian Johnson, Chief Executive.

“It enabled us to attract a higher calibre of employees and distributors, and pursue a mission based on speed, simplicity and excellence.”

This mission has transformed Biotrace International’s reputation and reach. “Each year, 10 per cent of the company’s turnover is spent on research and development – the lifeblood of the company,” says Johnson. “Since 1993, this has fuelled the launch of several new products.”

A combination of acquisitions and partnerships has allowed Biotrace to extend the reach of these products, and make a mark in Europe, Asia and the United States. A further issue releasing a five per cent tranche of shares in 2001 aided this expansion, raising £3 million. Spurred by a heightened awareness of the company’s bio-detection products in the United States, results for the six months ending June 2002 showed a 26 per cent increase in sales.

Strong interest in the company and its products earned Biotrace the techMARK mediscience ‘Best Performing Share’ award in 2002. The company also won the ‘Best Technology Award’ at the PLC awards.

“Our goal is to continue this commendable performance,” adds Johnson. “The listing has provided the foundations for almost a decade of expansion. We can maintain a research programme at the cutting-edge of microbiology. Our aim is to become a leading manufacturer and supplier of pioneering speciality products to the microbiology market.”

Facts & figures:
Company: Biotrace International plc
Location: Bridgend, Wales
Number of employees: 149
FTSE index: FTSE techMARK mediscience, FTSE Fledgling, FTSE techMARK All-Share
FTSE sector: Health
Date of admission: 25 November 1993
Market value 31 Mar 2003: £39.76m
Web address: www.biotrace.com

Source: Publicity, October 2002