Business briefs

29 Jul 2005

Including news from Quantel, Kodak, FLIR Systems, NP Photonics and more.

•  Quantel of France has been awarded a contract by the French Atomic Energy Commission (CEA) to supply the 120 pre-amplifier modules needed for the Megajoule project -- a giant laser fusion facility which is currently under construction in Bordeaux. The contract is worth around EURO 30 million, and Quantel says that it is establishing a new 7000m² plant near Ullis to support the contract.

•  Kodak, US, is licensing its OLED display technology to Korean firm Orion OLED. The royalty-bearing license is said to cover the use of passive matrix OLED modules in a variety of flat-panel display applications. The agreement also gives Orion the opportunity to purchase Kodak's patented OLED materials.

•  e2v technologies, the CCD chip maker, is to acquire fellow UK firm Gresham Scientific Instruments, a developer of X-ray detectors, for an expected £5.1 million. The acquisition expands e2v's medical and science sensor portfolio and in return gives Gresham an established presence in the US market along with well developed global distribution channels.

•  FLIR Systems, a specialist supplier of infrared imaging kit, is to supply the Korean Navy's p-3 Lot II maritime patrol aircraft program with its Star SAFIRE thermal imaging system. Deliveries are due to begin in 2006 and the contract, valued initially at around $5 million, includes follow-on options worth more than $10 million.

•  NP Photonics, a developer of advanced light sources, has secured $5 million in A2 series funding. The US company has recently launched a line of high-power, single-frequency fiber lasers for optical sensing applications.

•  Satis Vacuum and LOH Optikmaschinen have merged and are now operating under the name Satisloh. Based in Switzerland, Satishloh specialises in precision optical components as well as integrated surfacing, coating and edging techniques used in the manufacture of ophthalmic lenses.

•  IMPEX, a supplier of optical and laser components, has acquired US firm Princeton Scientific for an undisclosed sum. The deal gives Germany-based IMPEX access to US and Canadian markets, specifically academic and industrial research sectors.

•  Hommelwerke of Germany, a subsidiary of Jenoptik, has acquired a 40% stake in the Czech firm EMS CZ s.r.o. A developer of high-precision optical measurement technology, Hommelwerke says this minority shareholding will strengthen its market presence in both the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

•  Spectrometer expert Ocean Optics has appointed two new European distributors: Kutay Laboratory Equipment in Turkey and LAO Industrial Systems in the Czech Republic.