Re Contract

Smiths Group PLC
13 May 2002


Smiths Detection business collaborates on major U.S. Postal Service contract

London, May 13. 2002 - Smiths Group, through its Detection business ETG, is part
of a Northrop Grumman team that has today been selected by the U.S. Postal
Service (USPS) to build and test a complete bio-agent detection system. A $3.7
million pilot program is expected to lead to a multi-million dollar contract, in
September, to protect mail-sorting systems and USPS employees in nearly 300
sorting offices nationwide.


During the pilot program, the consortium will install and test bio-threat
detection systems to collect and rapidly analyse air samples taken from mail
sorting systems, detecting trace levels of DNA from biological agents.


The four companies that are teamed for the program include Northrop Grumman
Corp's Northrop Grumman Security Systems LLC, Smiths Detection - ETG, Sceptor
Industries, and Cepheid.


'We have been investing in the technologies to combat chemical and
bio-terrorism, which has equipped Smiths to respond quickly as the threat has
turned into a frightening reality,' said Keith Butler-Wheelhouse, chief
executive of Smiths Group. 'The increasing need to protect both civilians and
military forces presents our Detection business with a considerable
opportunity.'



Smiths and Northrop Grumman are working co-operatively to design and integrate a
system that houses Sceptor's particle collection technology and  Cepheid's
GeneXpertTM DNA testing technology to monitor high-speed mail processing
equipment.  Cepheid's DNA testing system, licensed by Smiths, uses polymerase
chain reaction (PCR) to amplify and detect target DNA.



Rick Thomas, President of Smiths Detection - ETG, added, 'Following several
months of intensive development and testing, we are pleased to have been chosen
by the USPS to collaborate on a system for its bio-threat detection pilot
programme.  We are confident that the team members have developed the technology
and hardware that will protect postal workers and the American public from the
threat of biological terrorism.'


Smiths Detection - ETG, based near Baltimore, Maryland, is a leading developer
and manufacturer of full-service, advanced engineering technology for nuclear,
biological, and chemical detection systems for government and other commercial
applications. ETG, along with Graseby Dynamics Ltd in the UK and Barringer
Instruments in North America, form Smiths Detection, part of the Aerospace
division of Smiths Group plc. Smiths holds market leading positions in aerospace
systems, medical devices, mechanical & polymer seals, and interconnect products.
For further information, visit www.smiths-group.com



Headquartered in Baltimore, Md., Northrop Grumman Security Systems, LLC's
affiliate division, Automation and Information Systems Division, has been
providing automation design, equipment fabrication, field deployment and
logistics support to the USPS for more than 11 years. The division is part of
the company's Electronic Systems sector, a world leader in the design,
development, and manufacture of defense electronics and systems.



Cepheid, based in Sunnyvale, Calif., is a leading developer, manufacturer and
marketer of miniaturised, fully integrated systems for rapid, on-site detection
of DNA - the universal biological identifier. Founded in 1996, the company is
commercialising its technology and products for scientific, medical and
industrial applications requiring time-critical detection of human and other
genes, infectious disease agents, and industrial and environmental contaminants
at the point of need.



Sceptor Industries, located in Kansas City, Mo., holds licenses from the Midwest
Research Institute to manufacture the SpinCon aerosol collector and other
equipment used in the analysis of environmental samples.





Smiths Group press enquiries to:
Richard Bayliss
Tel: [phone]



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