Bluechiip secures North America distribution deal

Temperature-resilient tracking chip developer Bluechiip (ASX:BCT) has gained access to the North American market via a distribution deal for its products with Micronic America.

The deal, Bluechiip's first for the North American market, will allow Micronic and its distribution network to distribute Bluechiip's products in the US and Canada.

Micronic's distributor network includes E&K Scientific, USA Scientific, Nova Biostorage Plus and MJS Biolynx. The network provides sample storage products to labs, biorepositories and pharmaceutical companies. Micronic America manages the group's traceable product portfolio.

Bluechiip CEO Brett Schwarz said the agreement marks a “major milestone” for the company. “Micronic has a great track record in manufacturing and supplying solutions... into the large North American market, so we saw them as ideal distribution partners,” he said.

Bluechiip's eponymous tracking solutions are capable of operating in extreme temperatures, while keeping tabs on a sample's temperature, making them suitable for samples in environments such as cryogenic storage facilities.

Since going public in 2011, the company has secured some significant early direct supply deals, including with the Australian Synchotron and with US CRO Gentris Corporation.

In October, the company also entered a research partnership with Swiss laboratory systems developer Inpeco to explore integrating bluechiips into Inpeco products.

Bluechiip (ASX:BCT) shares climbed 15% on the back of the news, to reach 23c as of 3pm on Monday.