Meantime, Abaxis found itself engaged in a mortal struggle with Idexx Laboratories of Westbrook, Me.

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Abaxis had occasional success at getting picked up by distributors but claims it would then get bounced out by Idexx.

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It's all part of the game, says Jonathan Ayers, Idexx's chief.

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Severson and his direct sales force tried to pick off customers one by one, shipping old Idexx machines they replaced to Abaxis headquarters, where they piled up in the "trophy room" on the factory floor.

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Severson's Vetscan had superior technology, but Idexx had the advantage with veterinary distributors, who currently place machines with 14, 000 vets, compared with 7, 000 for Abaxis, which relies on those sales (and the 3 million discs) for 74% of annual revenue.

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