Ofex Holdings Share Discussion Threads

[h e went] 01/9/2002 15:17

What happend to the ofexpress site?

[h e went] 01/9/2002 15:15

Ashley

Unquoted mag (with which Outside is obviously associated) will follow Ofex into the sewer methinks

[mr ashley james] 01/9/2002 14:20

HE Went,

I think OFEX is virtually untouchable, and will quite possibly collapse in next 18 months.

The mistake Jenkins made IMHO was being sole MM and not allowingg WINS to make a dual market.

It is just too dangerous to invest in a market monopoly of 1 mm, who is effectively not obiliged to compete or give a price on a stock if market is bearish and indeed worsening as indeed it is today.

Glen,

You really are an ignorant imbecille and a fool if you just continue trying to pretend everything is rosy, and just want to hear the positives.

You come across as a Minmet Plc style idiot quite frankly, ie Utopian everything is great, only wanting to hear the positive ramps and really not having a clue!

I get this feeling your chances of surviving the next stockmarket meltdown are zero!

Cheers

Ashley

[glennborthwick] 01/9/2002 14:11

agreed outsider - i suggest we leave this thread here

[outsider] 01/9/2002 14:02

I see you even brought the message back to the top with nothing to say in the 2nd post in this thread...............I reckon you have an anti-ofex agenda

[glennborthwick] 01/9/2002 13:28

I believe it is highly profitable to jenkins considering the spreads typically about

[simonevans] 01/9/2002 11:33

Ofex is a public company and so should file accounts with Companies House - anyone seen any accounts to support this? I would have thought another market maker would step in to run the market. It appears to me that Ofex needs to be better run like Aim as there have not been enough new issues over the last couple of years to sustain the market. Nevertheless, the market does serve a very valuable purpose and I, for one, believe that it could be much more successful than it currently is.

[energyi] 01/9/2002 11:32

High overheads? Is that true?

[h e went] 31/8/2002 19:42

Ofex - is this market about to go bust?

If the market went bust, a possibility given low trading volumes and presumably high overheads, will we lose our trading facilities?

[rolandp] 30/5/2002 22:00

glenn
Oversubscription was 14% or so. Can see lots of applications for the kit (could have done with one myself when I was doing the refining) and don't see a big ohd burn but I've been wrong before. I've only a little punt tho' because it is ofx after all.
cheers
R

[glennborthwick] 30/5/2002 20:02

Got a close eye on these rp

Not in yet but like their geographical sales spread now _ Japan, Germany, Uk etc.

My understanding is that its a 50 000 pound instrument which is doing the job of a piece of equipment which could cost a quarter of a million plus!!

Massive barriers to entry

I will dabble in these at some stage to add to my growing ofex list
Holding
Legends (too many to mention)
Product Power (small punt)
Surface transforms (small punt)
Twigg (going nicely)
Music copyright solutions (like the management)
Litcomp (like the niche sector)

[rolandp] 30/5/2002 19:15

up 0.5p today. Nicely ahead on the IPO, which was over subscribed and scaled back.


--------------

FIRST GERMAN ORDER FOR MILLBROOK

Millbrook Scientific Instruments today announced the first sale of its unique
bench-top scientific instrument, the Chemical Microscope, in Germany.
Millbrook's award-winning instrument is capable of highly sensitive surface
analysis of a wide variety of materials.


The order has been received from Millbrook's recently appointed distributor in
Germany, RJL Micro & Analytic of Karlsdorf near Heidelberg. The instrument,
which will be delivered in early September, will enable RJL to conduct
demonstrations of the Chemical Microscope for prospective customers in Germany.
RJL distributes electron microscopy products in Germany and has strong links
with the automotive, metals and forensic sectors.


Dr John Eccles, Millbrook's Commercial Director, said:

"We regard the purchase of an instrument by our new German distributor as a vote
of confidence in our company's unique product and its prospects of making a
significant impact in the German market. We are extremely happy that we have
now received two further orders for instruments since we floated on OFEX only
three weeks ago."


Last week Millbrook received an order from its Japanese distributor, Toyo
Corporation, for the delivery of an instrument to a Japanese University in
August. The standard Chemical Microscope retails at around GBP70,000, excluding
service contracts.


FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:

Peter Stefanini
Executive Chairman
Millbrook Scientific Instruments Plc Tel. [phone]

Neil Boom/Theresa Forrest
Gresham PR Tel. [phone]

This announcement has been prepared by and is the sole responsibility of the
Directors of Millbrook Scientific Instruments plc. Loeb Aron, which is
regulated by the Financial Services Authority, has approved this announcement.
Loeb Aron is acting as corporate adviser to Millbrook Scientific Instruments plc
and to no-one else and will not be responsible to anyone other than Millbrook
Scientific Instruments plc for providing the protections afforded to customers
of Loeb Aron or for providing advice in relation to any investment made pursuant
to this announcement.


NOTES TO EDITORS:

Millbrook Scientific Instruments was founded in 1995 by John Eccles, Tim Steele
and Ron Unwin. With extensive experience of SIMS and scientific instrument
design they set out to design a low cost surface analyser based on SIMS for the
wider quality control market. By 1997 a prototype was developed and in 1999,
following further investment, sales started in earnest. In November 2000 Peter
Stefanini joined as Chairman and Chief Executive bringing extensive general
management experience. Currently eight instruments have been sold.


THE MANAGEMENT

BOARD DIRECTORS

Dr Peter Stefanini Chairman & Chief Executive

After obtaining degrees in Natural Sciences and a PhD in Chemistry from
Cambridge University, Peter joined Unilever in 1972 and held a succession of
management positions over 11 years. This was followed by nine years as managing
director of subsidiaries of Coalite Plc. Peter was then appointed a main Board
Director of Croda International Plc, a FTSE 250 company, and ran a global
division with operations in USA, Europe and Asia. Before joining Millbrook in
2000, Peter led a management buy-out of a GBP50 million turnover company from a
PLC and ran it as Chief Executive for three years.


Dr John Eccles Commercial Director

John has a degree in Natural Sciences from Cambridge and a PhD in Surface
Science specialising in SIMS from Manchester UMIST. He joined VSW Scientific
Instruments Ltd as Product Manager in 1987, developing new product lines in SIMS
and ESCA. John completed an MBA at Manchester University during this time,
before working as a freelance scientific design and marketing consultant from
1991-1995. In 1995 he founded Millbrook Scientific Instruments with two former
colleagues from VSW.


Dr Tim Steele Technical Director

Tim obtained a BSc in Chemistry and a PhD in Physical Chemistry from Manchester
University. From 1984 to 1989 he worked as a Product Manager with VSW
Scientific Instrument, before moving to Adelaide to work for CMTEK Pty as a
research scientist. In 1994 Tim returned to the UK to take up a post as a
Research Associate at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, before getting
together with John Eccles and Ron Unwin to found Millbrook Scientific
Instruments.


Terry Bowman Finance Director

After qualifying as Chartered Accountant in 1974 Terry held positions in the
accounting profession and the textile industry. From 1984, he worked for 3i Plc
in its management consulting division undertaking corporate appraisals and
business turnarounds on behalf of banks and investing institutions. From 1993
to 1998 he held the position of Group Finance Director at Parkwood Holdings Plc.
Since then he has provided financial leadership on a part-time basis to a
number of businesses.


SENIOR MANAGEMENT

Dr Nick Long Sales Director

Nick obtained a BSc in Physics from the University of Leeds and a PhD in Physics
from the University of Bristol. In 1981 he joined VG Instruments Limited as an
engineer before moving to VSW Scientific Instruments Limited in 1984. In 1991
he set up his own company to sell scanning electron microscopes from a US
supplier and ran it until 1996. He then became General Manager of the UK
subsidiary of the German Group, Omicron Vakuumphysik Group. Since 2000 he has
been working part-time for Millbrook Scientific Instruments in a sales
capacity.


THE PRODUCT

The Chemical Microscope is a surface analyser which uses a technology known as
SIMS. No other technique provides such comprehensive information about the
chemical make-up of a surface. It analyses only the outermost atomic layers of
the surface. It can also scan the surface to "image" the distribution of a
particular element and can also be used to etch beneath the surface to examine
the variation of composition with depth.


Compared with most other surface analysis systems the Chemical Microscope offers
the following advantages:


* CONSIDERABLY LOWER CAPITAL COST
* Lower annual running and maintenance costs
* Compact design with small "footprint" for bench-top use.
* Transportability - small size and robust construction means the instrument
can be moved easily and safely and can be sited wherever required
* Ease of installation - just plug into a normal electrical socket; no other
services required.
* Rapid sample throughput - minimal set up time and fast loading.
* Easy to operate - a technician can be trained to operate the instrument in a
day.
* Remote operation through a modem link
* Operation through user friendly windows based software
* Instrument self diagnostics for effective trouble shooting

PRODUCT AWARDS

Millbrook has won a number of important awards for the Chemical Microscope
including:


The Millennium Products Award from The Design Council in 1998
The Annual Achievement Award from the Worshipful Company of Scientific
Instrument Makers (WCSIM Award) in 2000

The R&D Top 100 Award from R & D Magazine of the USA in 2000

The award from the Worshipful Company of Scientific Instrument Makers (WCSIM) is
perhaps the most prestigious of these, having been won in the past by world
beating instruments such as the Scanning Electron Microscope.


THE MARKET

The Millbrook Chemical Microscope can be used as a research tool and for quality
control. The company's target market includes universities, research institutes
and manufacturing companies engaged in electronics, biosciences and medical,
catalysis, corrosion, coatings and materials - metals, plastics, glass etc.


The company's target market is the sector currently dominated by the Scanning
Electron Microscope with Energy Dispersive X-Ray analysis. Some 2000 of these
systems are sold per year.


The company has a global distribution network already in place. During 2001 new
distributors were appointed in the USA, France, Benelux, China, Japan, and
Australia.




Source: Newstrack Service

--------
Am I alone !!!
R

[rolandp] 29/5/2002 23:04

New IPO may interest some : Caveat Ofex / Liquidity ......

MILLBROOK SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENTS PLC NEWSTRACK OFEX PROFILE 14/05/2002

Millbrook Scientific Instruments plc manufactures a bench-top surface analysis
instrument which is used in research and quality control for a range of
applications in industry and universities.


Based on technology known as Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (SIMS) this compact
instrument provides a comprehensive but low cost route to surface analysis,
enables rapid throughput of samples and is easy to install and operate.


Sales have already been made to a number of customers mainly in the UK. These
include manufacturing companies in the electronics, nuclear fuel, and glass
industries and universities, where research applications have included defence &
space, corrosion studies, materials research, and clinical engineering. The
instrument has also been used in university teaching applications.


A global network of distributors which covers the key strategic markets has been
put in place.


The company is engaged in developing a successor surface analysis system around
a patent which has already been granted.
----------------------------------------------------------------
Technically the kit appears very interesting and slays the competition on price.....
Will be interesting to see what they can do.
R