- 01PSC appointed APAS pharma agent in US, Canada and Singapore.
- 02Targets regional makers; sales expected from FY28.
- 03PSC to buy unit for US demo site.
Clever Culture Systems (ASX: CC5) has appointed PSC Biotech as its sole sales agent for APAS Independence across the pharmaceutical manufacturing market in the US, Canada, and Singapore.
The deal opens a new customer segment beyond the company’s direct focus on the world’s 20 largest pharmaceutical groups and adds a separate channel aimed at regional, medium, and large manufacturers.
Clever Culture Systems will continue to close sales, set instrument pricing, and retain all recurring software and service revenue, while PSC Biotech will earn commissions on eligible hardware sales it originates.
The agreement was executed on 13 October 2026 for an initial 36-month term, and can be extended by 24 months if both parties agree.
The partnership is expected to lift qualified sales opportunities over the next 12 months, with instrument sales from that expanded pipeline anticipated from the 2028 financial year and beyond.
Direct Strategy Intact
PSC Biotech sits alongside Clever Culture Systems’ existing Land & Expand approach, under which the Adelaide-based company has spent the past two years building APAS Independence positions within sterile drug manufacturing accounts.
That direct strategy remains focused on strategically important global pharmaceutical companies and multi-site enterprise opportunities, with APAS Independence now being deployed and evaluated across eight of the world’s largest pharmaceutical manufacturers.
PSC Biotech gives the business a broader route into customer groups outside that core direct-sales focus, allowing it to extend market reach without building a larger corresponding sales organisation.
The life sciences services company has more than 500 employees globally and has served more than 1,000 customers, giving it an established network from which to identify and develop new opportunities for the microbiology automation platform.
Pennsylvania Site Supports Growth
As part of the arrangement, PSC Biotech has committed to buy one APAS Independence instrument within 90 days for installation at its wholly owned BioTechnique business in York, Pennsylvania.
BioTechnique provides sterile fill-finish services from early-stage clinical development through to commercial product manufacturing, giving Clever Culture Systems a live pharmaceutical manufacturing environment in which the system can be qualified and validated for good manufacturing practice use.
The installation is intended to establish a centre of excellence in the US for product showcases, customer demonstrations and prospective customer evaluations while creating additional opportunities for PSC Biotech to sell related validation services.
“The PSC Biotech partnership provides a new, complementary, and incremental channel to broaden our reach across the US pharmaceutical market, particularly into mid-tier and regional manufacturers that are outside our current direct-sales focus,” chief executive officer Brent Barnes said.
“We expect this market expansion to generate a meaningful increase in qualified sales opportunities over the coming 12 months, with APAS Independence instrument sales converting from these opportunities from FY28 and beyond.”
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