QIAGEN N.V. Annual Report 2001

Letter from the Managing Board
To Our Shareholders,
We are pleased to inform you that 2001 was another successful year for QIAGEN, in which we continued
our strong growth and expanded our market and technology leadership. We continued our 16-year history
of ongoing growth, increasing net sales by 22% to $263.8 million in 2001 over 2000. In 2000 net income
increased to $34.4 million, representing 64% growth over 2000. Excluding one-time charges amounting to
$5.4 million related to the acquisition of Operon Technologies, Inc., now QIAGEN Operon, Inc., in 2000
and one-time charges and expenses amounting to $3.0 million related to the acquisition of the Sawady group
of companies in 2001, and without considering any other impacts related to the Sawady acquisition, the
growth in consolidated net income would have been over 37%. In 2001 diluted earnings per share
increased 71% to $0.24.
QIAGEN’s successful growth is based on the systematic development of new and innovative products, while
continuing to enhance our quality, services, and support. Our broad technology platform and excellent R&D
team are the key drivers of our expanding product portfolio. In 2001, QIAGEN expanded its product
portfolio targeting the life science market by launching 17 new innovative products focused on separation,
purification, and handling of nucleic acids — including the PAXgene Blood RNA System, the first product from
PreAnalytiX, QIAGEN’s joint venture with Becton, Dickinson and Company.
5
QIAGEN is very well positioned as a key supplier to researchers applying techniques in modern life science
disciplines such as functional genomics, proteomics, and cellomics to develop new therapies and diagnostics.
Our leading position in the molecular biology research market and ”gold-standard” technologies for nucleic
acid separation, purification, and handling are also being successfully expanded into the rapidly growing
markets of molecular diagnostics and gene therapy. The acquisition of the Sawady group of companies places
QIAGEN in a strong position in the Japanese genomics market, bringing to Japan the products and
services provided by QIAGEN Operon in both North America and Europe. This global network allows us to
vigorously pursue the rapidly growing opportunities in the life sciences in all key geographical markets.
We are proud of the entrepreneurial spirit and proven commitment of more than 1,500 QIAGEN
employees all over the world, which drive our penetration into our growing target markets and enable us to
supply our customers with consistently high-quality products and services. In the coming year, we will continue
to develop new, innovative products for collecting, purifying, handling, and analyzing nucleic acids, and
successfully bring them to market. The quality of QIAGEN products and services and the efficiency of our
sales channels should strengthen our strategic position as the key provider of critical tools for the life science
revolution. We are looking forward to a bright and dynamic future for QIAGEN.
Thank you for your interest in QIAGEN. We are looking forward to reporting our future successes.
Venlo, The Netherlands, April 2002 Venlo, The Netherlands, April 2002
Dr. Metin Colpan
Peer M. Schatz
Chief Executive Officer
Chief Financial Officer