December 1, 2008--Optical sensing company Ocean Optics (Dunedin, FL) acquired the Oerlikon Optics coating and thin-films business unit in Golden, CO. Oerlikon Optics USA is a supplier of custom optical components and subassemblies. Its Golden, CO operation, including plant assets and customer and supplier relationships, will be transferred to Ocean Optics and become part of the latter's Thin Films Division.
The Ocean Optics Thin Films Division designs and manufactures patented dichroic filters for entertainment, architectural and display products, as well as precision optics and coatings for scientific applications, defense and metrology. The division has nearly 70 employees, including 10 scientists and engineers. Located in a recently expanded 30,000-square-foot facility in Largo, FL, the group utilizes advanced lithography equipment and vacuum deposition systems to provide optimal patterned solutions for both established and prototype optical systems. The management team is expert in lithography and optical coating, with extensive experience in avionics, fire control, and spectral sensing projects.
Ocean Optics is a subsidiary of Halma (Amersham, England), a provider of safety, health, and sensor technology. In its half year report for the 26 weeks ended September 27, 2008 Halma reported revenue from continuing operations up 19% to $328.8 million dollars, including 14% organic revenue growth. Geoff Unwin, chairman of Halma, said, "We continue to invest strongly in products, people and market development. At the time of writing, stock markets are jittery, as investors begin to see the smoke clearing somewhat from the banking crisis, only to see a weakening global economic perspective. Demand for our products is underpinned by long-term growth drivers and we therefore expect Halma to continue to perform well, relative to markets as a whole."
Andrew Williams, chief executive of Halma, said, "Infrastructure Sensors performed well, increasing revenue by 15% and profit by 18%, raising the Return on sales from 17.1% to 17.6%. Health and Analysis achieved profit growth of 21% and revenue growth of 25%. Despite good underlying revenue growth and the expected contribution from recent acquisitions, underlying profit growth was slightly disappointing. Product margins were steady, but overhead costs grew faster in absolute terms. Actions are underway to address the specific challenges within the relevant businesses to ensure increases in resources are productive and profitable." Williams continued, "In September 2008 we acquired Fiberguide Industries based in New Jersey, USA for $14.0 million. We followed in November 2008 with the acquisition of the Colorado operations of Oerlikon Optics USA for $6.0 million which will become part of Ocean Optics."
--Posted by Gail Overton
For more information, visit www.halma.com.
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