SYFT Technologies Consolidates European Presence

SYFT Technologies Consolidates European Presence And Expands Commercial Team.

Press release, 16-April-07, Syft Technologies Ltd, Christchurch, New Zealand: Demand for Syft's products and services from the UK and Europe has lead to the appointment of two new senior sales executives and opening of an office in the Daresbury Innovation Centre, Cheshire.

The new office will initially have a staff of three, including a sales engineer from Syft's Christchurch office and a marketing assistant, and be headed by newly appointed European Regional Manager, Dr Stephen Guilfoyle.

Dr Guilfoyle joins the Syft team from a position as Sales and Marketing Manager with mass spectrometry specialists, GV Instruments, and prior to that was International Sales Manager for semiconductor manufacturers, Thermo VG Semicon. He has a PhD in Physics and experience in the mass spectrometry field from the technical installation level, right through all stages of the sales and product development process.

His primary role will be to create direct sales for Syft in the UK and Europe and to support Syft's three European distributors (Interscience BV, Brechbuehler AG and Axel Semrau GmBH) who are actively marketing Voice100 products in Benelux, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Italy and France.

Syft has further expanded its international sales efforts with the appointment of John Billows as International Sales Manager, based in the company's Christchurch office.

Mr Billows has joined Syft from Tait Electronics. He was with Tait for 18 years, moving from purely technical roles initially to European sales roles, senior product management positions and most recently was Vice President, Sales Engineering based in Christchurch.

His primary role will be to manage and develop Syft’s paths to market internationally as well as playing a significant role in the strategic direction of the company.

"The addition of these new senior sales personnel to the Syft team represents a significant step forward for the company," says Syft CEO Geoff Peck.

"Over the last 12 months we have been developing significant commercial opportunities in Europe whilst also conducting client trials focusing on a wide range of target applications of particular interest to importers and exporters.

"Having experienced technical and sales executives on the ground will assist us in servicing those clients. We also now have distribution relationships covering most of Europe and we need to support this activity with local resources."

Syft has been making significant progress in a range of application areas with particular emphasis on Container Air Analysis, Food and Flavour Research and Medical research applications through its collaboration with the Canterbury DHB and the University of Otago Medical School.

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About Syft Technologies

Syft Technologies is a private enterprise formed out of Canterbury University, New Zealand in 2002 to commercialise SIFT-MS technology (Selected Ion Flow Tube Mass Spectrometry) – a scientific breakthrough previously confined to specialist research labs for identification of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs).

The company has successfully created commercially available instrumentation based on SIFT_MS that can instantly and accurately identify trace level VOCs to a few parts per billion. For more information visit www.syft.com.

About Daresbury Science and Innovation Campus

Located just 20 minutes from Manchester Airport, Daresbury is considered the scientific "home" of mass spectrometry – the technology behind Syft's Voice100 product range.

Daresbury Science and Innovation Campus is a partnership involving the North West Regional Development Agency (NWDA), the Council for the Central Laboratory of Research Councils (CCLRC), the Universities of Lancaster, Liverpool and Manchester, and Halton Borough Council. Its objective is to develop an internationally recognised scientific, innovation and business community that facilitates the transfer of world-class scientific research into innovative commercial solutions and products.

The £50.3 million (approx. NZ$150 million) purpose-built facility is also home to such world-class organisations as the Cockcroft Institute, the UK’s National Centre for Accelerator Science.

www.daresburyinnovation.co.uk

ENDS

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