Smiths Detection Wins Advanced Mobile Cargo Screening Equipment Contract in Paraguay

High-Energy X-ray Screening System to Inspect Exports and Imports

Asuncion, Paraguay, 27 August 2007 - Smiths Detection, part of the global technology business Smiths Group, today announced that Paraguay National Customs has awarded the company with a contract for advanced high-energy mobile cargo screening equipment. The Smiths Detections HCVM system will be deployed at customs border crossings around the country to detect contraband and illicit goods. Imports and exports in containers will be targeted, as well as cargo transported in trucks and other vehicles.

The HCVM provides high performance imaging capabilities which enable advanced contraband detection, using high energy X-rays that can penetrate from 210 to 300mm of steel, depending on the model. With an extremely short set-up time, the HCVM offers full mobility, including driving on highways from one inspection site to another or across a port. The system can inspect 25 plus trucks per hour.

“The HCVM is a powerful tool for customs and border patrol agents around the world,” said Stephen Phipson, Group Managing Director of Smiths Detection. “We are providing advanced screening solutions to many countries around the world, equipping them with the advanced technology necessary to prevent contraband and illicit goods from crossing their borders.”

In addition to providing the HCVM, Smiths Detection will offer training to customs personnel to maximize their technical capabilities and to ensure peak performance. A year of technical support is included in the contract.

“The combination of high-energy X-ray and mobility makes the HCVM an ideal solution for Paraguay National Customs,” said Eduardo Parodi, director of sales & marketing, Latin America and the Caribbean. “We are pleased our technical expertise enabled Smiths Detection to win the bidding process conducted by Transparency International. We expect the HCVM to make an immediate impact for Paraguay’s National Customs agents.”

The HCVM operates at numerous key international ports around the globe, including Chile, the Port of Veracruz, Mexico and the Caribbean (Curacao, Barbados), and various ports in the United States. It is used principally in the detection of contraband such as illegal drugs and increasingly in a security role, too assist in the identification of conventional explosives and weapons.

About Smiths Detection
Smiths Detection is part of the global technology business Smiths Group. It offers advanced integrated security solutions for customers in civil and military markets worldwide and is a leading technology developer and manufacturer of sensors that detect and identify explosives, chemical and biological agents, weapons, and contraband. Its advanced technology security solutions also include Smiths Heimann x-ray imaging systems, millimeter-wave technology and a specialist software supply business for the management of large sensor and video surveillance networks.  Separate business units focus on related products for the life sciences, and food manufacturing industries. For more information visit www.smithsdetection.com

About Smiths Group
Smiths is a global technology company, listed on the London Stock Exchange. Smiths Group is a world leader in the practical application of advanced technologies. Its products and services make the world safer, healthier and more productive. Smiths Group has three divisions focused on the high growth detection, medical devices, energy and communications markets. It employs more than 20,000 people in over 50 countries. For more information visit www.smiths.com

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Media Contacts:   
David Olsen 
Coltrin & Associates for Smiths Detection
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David_Olsen@Coltrin.com
or
Susan Cooper-Curcio
Smiths Detection
973-830-2131
susan.cooper@smithsdetection.com