A HOSPITAL and food industry disinfection products business based near Newmarket is celebrating a 9% increase in pre-tax profits over the six months to the end of December, despite a difficult period for its food industry contamination control business.

A HOSPITAL and food industry disinfection products business based near Newmarket is celebrating a 9% increase in pre-tax profits over the six months to the end of December, despite a difficult period for its food industry contamination control business.

Infection and contamination control firm Tristel, based at Snailwell, announced a rise in turnover of just under 8%, and an increase of 27% in gross profits when it unveiled its interim results yesterday .

Company chairman Francisco Soler described the first half results as “very encouraging” and said its product development and marketing strategy over the past two years was bearing fruit.

But while its subsidiary Tristel Solutions achieved a 17% increase in turnover, fuelled by new products targeted at general hospital surfaces, laboratories and ear, nose and throat and ultrasound departments, its Tristel Technologies arm suffered a 21% fall in turnover.

Although sales have now stabilised, Tristel Technologies, which the group acquired in 2006, suffered the downturn after its largest food processing customer reduced purchases of its chlorinate dioxide wash products by £137,000.

“Whilst the first half downturn in the Tristel Technologies business is disappointing, sales have now stabilised and our outlook for the medium term is optimistic,” said Mr Soler.

“We are very encouraged by the progress that our hospital-based business, Tristel Solutions, is making. Our burstable sachet product is starting to gain real momentum in hospitals where it is gaining recognition as a more effective, safer and simpler product for cleaning and disinfecting floors and walls that the bleach-type products currently used.”

Paul Swinney, the firm's chief executive, said the first half had seen another “solid performance” from Tristel.

“Sales growth within our core hospital business of 17.1% is an excellent achievement given the difficulties recently reported by other suppliers to the NHS,” he said.

“New product introductions are fuelling this growth. Given the relatively short time that these new products have been available, such as our high-level disinfectant for general hospital surfaces which is effective against clostridium difficile, we have good reason to be confident about our prospects for the second half and beyond.

“Localised difficulties within our contamination control business for the food industry have taken the shine off the overall group result, but the level of activity has stabilised in recent months.”

n Tristel has entered into a supply agreement with a firm based in Augsburg, Germany, for the supply of washer-disinfectors designed for small endoscopes used in ear, nose and throat (ENT) examinations.

The manufacture and supply agreement with BHT Hygienetechnik GmbH follows a design and development deal which the companies entered into in March 2007, which involved BHT developing the design for the washer to Tristel's specification.

Tristel launched its Tristel wipes systems for small diameter endoscopes used for nose and throat examinations in 2003.

“It has proven to be extremely successful with over 50% of all ENT departments in the country using the system,” said Tristel chief executive Paul Swinney.

“However, many of the hospitals that have not adopted the wipes systems have expressed a preference for an automated decontamination process. The washer-disinfector that we have developed with BHT fits the bill. BHT is a world-renowned manufacturer of endoscope decontamination equipment.”