Koheras, Crystal Fibre get it together

15 Jun 2009

Integrating the sister companies produces 'probably the largest pure-play fibre-optics company in Europe'.

Koheras and Crystal Fibre, both based in Denmark, have been fully owned subsidiaries of NKT Holdings since 2000 and part of NKT's photonics group. Now the two companies are merging into a single unit, to be called NKT Photonics.

"The two organizations have acted as sister companies for more than eight years, and Crystal Fibre has been a key supplier to Koheras throughout that time," said Jakob Skov, CEO of the new merged company. "Due to the fast growth of SuperK white-light products from Koheras in recent years, it was an obvious move to take advantage of the synergies between the two entities. The modular platform we have created is to a large extent based upon fibres and optical modules from Crystal Fibre, so it was commercially sound to strengthen the relationship even further. "

By becoming part of a laser manufacturer, Crystal Fibre's core business of selling commercial crystal fibres and related passive components will derive a clear benefit, according to Skov. "The fibre organization gains access to test facilities and will be able to fast-track some of its development work. For Koheras, the vision has always been to build in as much functionality as possible and thereby simplify the product architecture and the customers' supply chains. [Photonic] crystal fibres are the optimal building-block for realizing that vision."

The brand names of Crystal Fibre and Koheras will continue, for fibres and ultracompact fibre lasers respectively. Other brand names to be part of the NKT Photonics portfolio include AeroLase (for passive fibre components) and SuperK (for white-light lasers and components).

"NKT Photonics is now probably the largest pure-play fibre-optics company in Europe," claimed Skov. "We sell commercial fibres that reach unprecedented energy levels to the materials-process laser manufacturers, as fibre delivery systems and many [other] applications. Within the next year, we will commercialize optical modules, combiners and couplers and thereby even further penetrate the commercial markets with crystal-fibre technology. We are the leading company in commercial crystal fibres and intend to maintain that position."

NKT Photonics is exhibiting at LASER 2009, hall C1 booth 302.