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10 Jan 2006
Laser beam diagnostics specialist Spiricon is set to become part of the Ophir group.
Ophir, the Israeli provider of optical test and measurement equipment, has acquired Spiricon, the US laser beam diagnostics specialist, for an undisclosed sum. The deal, which is still having its legal technicalities finalised, is expected to close before the end of the month, in time for the Photonics West 2006 show. The acquisition includes Spiricon's sister companies Spiricon Power Products, which makes optical power meters, and Spiricon GmbH in Germany.
Ophir told Optics.org that it will retain the Spiricon brand and that the business will simply operate as a wholly-owned subsidiary. "We are very happy to welcome Spiricon to the Ophir group, it's a very good addition to our personnel, expertise and product range," said Yoram Shalev of Ophir. "We did it in the spirit of one plus one should equal at least three."
The motivation for the acquisition is straightforward - Ophir is a leading provider of optical power meters and wanted to add Spiricon's expertise in beam diagnostics to its business. "They [Spiricon] have been around for nearly thirty years and are the leaders in the beam profiling business. It's a small business on the head count side, but the brand is very strong. It's amazing to see how just a few people can build such a strong brand and maintain it over the years." commented Yoram Shalev.
Spiricon is based in Logan, Utah, and was set up in 1978. It is a privately held company with around 30 staff. Over the years, the firm has built up a strong business in providing CCD camera and pyroelectric sensor based laser beam profiling systems. Carlos Roundy from Spiricon told Optics.org that after almost thirty years of working hard he was now looking to free up some of his time. "I'm 66 and I'm ready to go hiking - it is a good time, Ophir was interested and I was ready to take a minor role as opposed to a major role. I'll be president for half a year or so, then I'll be heavily involved probably as a consultant for another few years."
Author
Oliver Graydon is editor of Optics.org and Opto & Laser Europe magazine.
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