Agilent transceivers are RoHS-compliant
Agilent Technologies (Boeblingen, Germany) announced it is now shipping fiberoptic transceivers that are fully compliant with the European Union’s (EU) Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) directive. Agilent’s entire portfolio of fiberoptic transceivers is expected to be fully compliant with the RoHS directive by October 2005, well in advance of the July 2006 deadline.
The transition to lead-free products is a complex task that affects all electronics component suppliers and poses many supply chain, handling and reliability challenges. Agilent has conducted extensive studies and implemented rigorous testing procedures to ensure that the materials and processes used in manufacturing RoHS-compliant transceivers do not compromise the transceivers’ functionality, quality and reliability.
Transmode Systems and Lumentis merge
Transmode Systems and Lumentis (both of Stockholm, Sweden) are merging to form a new company under the Transmode identity to further penetrate the growing metro wavelength-division-multiplexing (WDM) global equipment market. The merger, which is effective immediately, makes Transmode a major supplier to telecommunications operators, MSOs, systems integrators, enterprises, utilities, public institutions, and OEM partners worldwide. Over the past five years, both companies have grown rapidly and have won several awards from the investment community as well as the telecommunications industry press. The new organization also has considerable financial backing, with Transmode having closed a $15 million financing round last December and Lumentis raising $9 million in June 2004. The total investment to date in both companies is $81 million.
FOGs track warehouse vehicles
Fiberoptic gyros (FOGs) manufactured by KVH Industries (Middletown, RI), are playing a critical role in a tracking system designed to monitor inventory and increase efficiency in dynamic warehouse environments. Integrated Sensors, Inc. (Utica, NY), a privately held engineering, research, and product development firm providing competitive solutions addressing land vehicle navigation, has developed a radio frequency identification (RFID)-aided warehouse tracking system. The system, already in use by a Fortune 50 company, uses KVH FOGs to track the position of each forklift, its unique cargo identification, and the pick-up and put-down location of the inventory. “KVH has made fiberoptic gyros affordable to meet the unique requirements of industrial applications.
The warehouse environment is similar to a military environment, in terms of the need for the FOGs to be very rugged and durable,” said David A. Coker, vice president and general manager of Integrated Sensors.
TeraXion acquires DiCOS Technologies
TeraXion (Quebec City, Quebec, Canada), a designer and manufacturer of optical components for high-speed fiberoptic transmission networks, announced the acquisition of DiCOS Technologies (Sainte-Foy, Quebec, Canada). DiCOS, a privately held company, is known for its expertise in the control and stabilization of optical frequencies for tunable lasers and instrumentation in the telecommunications industry. “We are more and more active in the optical sensing market, notably in offering fiberoptic probes. To interrogate fiberoptic probes, light sources are necessary and DiCOS’ expertise in frequency control will allow us to offer more complete and very competitive solutions,” said Alain Chandonnet, CEO of TeraXion.
Gail Overton
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Also in the news . . .
InnovaQuartz (Phoenix, AZ) has acquired the 3M TECS (West Haven, CT) multimode-optical-fiber product line. InnovaQuartz plans to move the TECS/Power Core Multimode fiber production business to its new fiber draw facility in Phoenix. . . . Optelecom (Germantown, MD) announced the closing of its acquisition of NKF Electronics (Gouda, The Netherlands), a wholly owned subsidiary of Draka Holding. According to Optelecom, the transaction establishes them as a leading producer of comprehensive fiberoptic-based communications solutions. . . . Finisar (Sunnyvale, CA), a provider of fiberoptic subsystems and network test and monitoring solutions, has entered into a definitive agreement to purchase the shares of InterSAN (Scotts Valley, CA) a privately held software company, for approximately $9.5 million in Finisar stock. . . . Fox-Tek (Toronto, Ontario, Canada) has accepted a purchase order from Saudi Arabian Oil Company for an initial installation of Fox-Tek¿s fiberoptic monitoring system at Saudi Aramco¿s Abqaiq gas processing plant. . . . Polatis (Cambridge, England) announced a worldwide sales distribution agreement with JDS Uniphase (San Jose, CA). This agreement joins the Polatis family of high-performance optical crossconnect switches with JDS Uniphase¿s network of resellers, direct sales, and distribution channels.