California’s Apricot a tasty acquisition for SPT Labtech

Cambridge’s SPT Labtech has paid an undisclosed sum for a California based global leader in the design and development of automated instrumentation and consumables for life science applications.

Formerly TTP Labtech, the UK business has acquired Apricot Designs Inc., headquartered in Covina.

Apricot Designs has established a 30-year track record supporting increasingly complex and evolving laboratory research requirements with the design and manufacture of multichannel micro-volume pipettors and sample preparation devices. 

The acquisition allows SPT Labtech to strategically expand its range of liquid handling technologies as part of its broader portfolio of innovative automation solutions for drug discovery, structural biology, genomics, cryo-EM, sample management and biobanking.

Patrick Bennett, group CEO at SPT Labtech, said: “We are delighted to welcome Apricot Designs to the SPT Labtech group. The company's liquid handling technology products seamlessly complement our existing portfolio of high-performance positive displacement instruments.

“The addition reflects our continued commitment to accelerating scientific research by maximising our customers' productivity. The powerful combination of technologies and application know-how will enable us to streamline end-to-end workflows and serve a wider range of research applications.”

The deal further strengthens SPT Labtech's global footprint through Apricot Designs' significant hubs in California and Asia.

SPT Labtech prides itself on making products that transform the way scientists work. For nearly two decades, its scientists, engineers and business innovators have created pathfinding solutions for liquid handling, sample preparation and management that help accelerate research and make a real difference to human health.