DakoCytomation expecting 2003 initial public offering

Merger matches Danish, U.S. firms

FORT COLLINS — The company formerly known as Cytomation has a few extra letters in front of its name after a July 1 merger with a Danish company.

Emerging as DakoCytomation A/S, the new entity combines the Fort Collins-based company’s bioinstrumentation products with the Copenhagen, Denmark-based company’s cancer-diagnostic reagents. The result is a corporation with $175 million in sales, 1,400 employees and worldwide distribution.

Next step: initial public offering, according to company officials.

Jes Ostergaard, former Dako president and now president and CEO of the newly formed company, said he expects DakoCytomation to surpass $250 million in sales…