SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION Washington, D.C. 20549 ------------------------------------------- FORM 8-K CURRENT REPORT Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported): July 21, 1998 ---------------------------------------- THERMO INSTRUMENT SYSTEMS INC. (Exact name of Registrant as specified in its charter) Delaware 1-9786 04-2925809 (State or other (Commission (I.R.S. Employer jurisdiction of File Number) Identification Number) incorporation or organization) 860 West Airport Freeway, Suite 301 Hurst, Texas 76054 (Address of principal executive offices) (Zip Code) (817) 485-6663 (Registrant's telephone number including area code) Item 5. Other Events On July 21, 1998, Thermo Instrument Systems Inc. (the "Company") issued a press release, attached hereto as Exhibit 99, regarding its expected operating income for the quarter ended July 4, 1998. Item 7. Financial Statements, Pro Forma Financial Information and Exhibits (a) Financial Statements of Business Acquired: not applicable. (b) Pro Forma Financial Information: not applicable. (c) Exhibits 99 Press Release of the Company, dated July 21, 1998 SIGNATURE Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, on this 22nd day of July, 1998. THERMO INSTRUMENT SYSTEMS INC. By: /s/ Sandra L. Lambert Sandra L. Lambert Secretary EXHIBIT 99 THERMO INSTRUMENT SYSTEMS EXPECTS SECOND QUARTER OPERATING INCOME TO BE APPROXIMATELY $55 MILLION BEDFORD, Texas, July 21, 1998 -- Thermo Instrument Systems Inc. (ASE-THI) announced today that it expects operating income for the second quarter, ended July 4, 1998, to be approximately $55 million. Lower sales as a result of orders received late in the quarter at the company's ThermoQuest (ASE-TMQ) subsidiary were the primary cause of the lower-than-expected operating income estimate. Thermo Instrument Systems' diluted earnings per share for the 1998 quarter will be approximately the same as the 1997 period. Thermo Instrument Systems plans to release its complete quarterly earnings results on August 13, 1998. Thermo Instrument Systems Inc. is a leading provider of analytical instruments used to identify complex chemical compounds, toxic metals, and other elements in a broad range of liquids and solids. The company also develops and manufactures instruments used to monitor radioactivity and air pollution; life science instruments and consumables; and imaging, inspection, measurement, and control instruments for various industrial processes. Thermo Instrument Systems is a public subsidiary of Thermo Electron Corporation. More information is available on the Internet at http://www.thermo.com/subsid/thi1.html. This press release contains forward-looking statements that involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements are set forth under the heading "Forward-looking Statements" in Exhibit 13 to the company's annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended January 3, 1998. These include uncertainties relating to the company's acquisition and spinout strategies, risks associated with competition and technological change, intellectual property rights and litigation, dependence on certain key industries and international operations, possible changes in governmental regulations, capital spending and government funding policies, and the potential impact of the year 2000 on processing date-sensitive information.