Angiotech consolidating

Angiotech (TSE:ANP; ANPI) is planning to disclose on its Nov. 3 earnings call that it has started to consolidate its far-flung facilities, a task that will be spread out over the next year. According to President and CEO William Hunter, the company has laid off about nine people at its Palo Alto, Calif., facility and will lay off a few more before year end. That facility, which the company acquired through its January 2003 purchase of Cohesion Technologies, previously employed about 35 people.

The company plans to retain the eight or nine employees it has in Los Gatos, Calif., which it acquired when it bought NeuColl in August. Cohesion is focused on resorbable surgical hemostats and prevention of adhesions. NeuColl specializes in bone graft materials. ANP has not decided whether it will consolidate those into a single location. ...