Business Briefs

07 Sep 2006

Including news from Bombardier, Sony, Cambridge Display Technology, Photonic Products, Perkin Elmer and others.

Cockpit lighting

• Canadian manufacturer Bombardier Aerospace has chosen Optis software to improve lighting in its cockpits. Optis, Toulon, France, has developed its Speos Visual Ergonomics software to optimize the visual ergonomics of human-machine interfaces such as dashboards, control panels, cockpits, cashpoint machines, handheld electronic devices.

• Sony has blamed problems with the production of GaN-based laser diodes as it puts back the European launch of its Playstation3 console from autumn 2006 to March 2007. Low yields of laser diode chips from semiconductor wafers appear to be behind the decision by Sony to delay its introduction of the Playstation3 games console in Europe. The Playstation3 launch dates in Japan and the US remain set for November, but for Europe and the rest of the world, it's looking like March 2007.

• Cambridge Display Technology and Sumation, its joint venture partner with Sumitomo Chemical, have announced significant progress in the development of longer lifetime blue light emitting polymers suitable for full color, video capable P-OLED displays. The latest data show a lifetime of 20,000 hours from an initial luminance of 400cd/m², equivalent to over 320,000 hours from 100cd/m². This represents a three-fold improvement over the lifetime announced a year ago, and demonstrates the fruits of the collaboration by the development teams.

• Photonic Products, Hertfordshire, UK, is offering OEMs and system integrators a subassembly design and manufacturing service and one-stop source for precision CNC multi-axis sliding-head milling and turning. OEMs using the automated service no longer have to order and stock the many different parts that make up an assembly; instead, a single part number covers the whole assembly, which is delivered complete and ready for use.

• PerkinElmer, a developer of photonics and health science testing systems, has acquired Avalon Instruments, Belfast, UK. The acquisition will add a range of bench-top dispersive Raman spectrometers to Perkin Elmer's portfolio.

• Shareholders of Alcatel, at the annual ordinary and extraordinary shareholders' meeting in Paris on September 7, approved all proposed resolutions related to the merger with Lucent Technologies. Similarly, Lucent shareholders approved the merger at that company's shareholders' meeting, held at the same time. "This strategy, strengthened by the projects to acquire some of Nortel's assets and the reinforcement of our partnership with Thales, aims to increase Alcatel's value, provide customers with the broadest portfolio, and give employees opportunities," said Serge Tchuruk, Chairman and CEO of Alcatel.

• Applied Imaging Corp., a supplier of automated imaging and image analysis systems, is to be acquired by Genetix Group, the UK-based cell biology, proteomics and genomics health technology group, in an all-cash transaction valued at $18.3 million. Under the terms of the agreement, which is subject to approval by Applied Imaging's stockholders, Genetix will pay $3.06 per share to acquire all of Applied Imaging's common stock. The deal is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2006.

• CVI Laser has announced that Lynore Abbott has been promoted to the position of marketing director. Abbott will now be responsible for managing marketing activities for North America and coordinating worldwide marketing activities in Europe and Asia.

• An equal number of CEOs now turn to online news sources as their primary form of news compared to newspapers, according to the latest Vistage Confidence Index, a quarterly measure of economic, market and industry trends. 31% of nearly 2,000 [US-based] CEOs responding to the survey ranked online sources as their primary source of news, compared to an equal 31% who ranked newspapers first. 22% reported that television remained their primary news source.

• Primera Technology, a developer of CD/DVD duplication and printing equipment, has launched its Bravo SE Disc Publisher. Instead of copying discs one at a time and then printing and sticking labels, Bravo SE automates the entire burning and printing process.