Eagle Tribune August 10, 2004

Going Global
By Diane Nolan
Correspondent

Sensitech Inc. of Beverly is expanding from national to global with its third acquisition in the past 100 days.

The most recent deal came late last week with the acquisition of the owner of Temperature Data Systems for an undisclosed price.

"This acquisition allows Sensitech to expand our cold-chain measurement and analysis services to a number of new markets and customers," Sensitech Chief Executive Officer Eric Schultz said in a written statement announcing the deal.

The company acquired is Ryan Instruments International, which does business as Temperature Data Systems. Based in Holland, TDS is Sensitech's largest distributor and has been in business nearly 40 years. TDS employs 15 people and also has offices in Spain, France and Germany.

Carel van Oosterzee -- former director of TDS and current vice president and managing director for the company's operations in Europe, Middle East and Africa -- said in a statement following the acquisition that customers can anticipate a smooth transition to Sensitech ownership and "a new level of analysis and insight."

Sensitech is a leading independent provider of what is known as cold chain products and services. The company produces devices that monitor temperature during the transportation of perishable products, including medicines and food. Sensitech estimates that it has protected $200 billion of its customers' products in the last decade.

"Our customers include most of the major supermarket chains and pharmaceutical companies," said Vice President of Marketing Susan Bonecci. "For supermarkets, it's mostly produce, although there are other perishable products as well ... and for pharmaceuticals, it's largely vaccines."

The company also provides customers with database technology to manage perishables' temperatures during transport. The same tool allows Sensitech's customers to review data to ensure that products were not compromised.

"We have a number of new products that are being launched this year," Bonecci said.

In addition to Washington and California offices, Sensitech has service and distribution offices all over the world including Europe, Asia and Africa.

Sensitech was founded by Beverly resident Ernest "Sandy" Santin in 1990 with a handful of employees, according to Bonecci. Since then, the Beverly headquarters has grown to 110 employees, the largest of the three U.S. offices.

The two other recent acquisitions were competitor Cox Technologies Inc. of North Carolina, and distributor, Check-It, based in Denmark.

A privately held company, Sensitech would not release details about the TDS transaction beyond that Adelphi Capital assisted with the transaction along with Key Bank, which has underwritten the company's last three acquisitions.

"Business is growing steadily," Bonecci said.

Sensitech was the recipient of a Smaller Business Association of New England award for innovation in 2002.