Bio-Rad Sells Semiconductor Measurements Unit to Accent

HERCULES, Calif., July 5 -- Bio-Rad Laboratories Inc. is selling its semiconductor and optoelectronic metrology business to Accent Semiconductor Technologies Inc. Bio-Rad Laboratories' metrology business operates in eight countries with more than 200 employees, its headquarters is located in York, England.
Following its purchase of Pasteur Sanofi Diagnostics, Bio-Rad has concentrateed its resources on the healthcare-related fields of life science research and clinical diagnostics, the company said. Even though the semiconductor equipment businesses are expanding, they do not correspond to the company's focus on healthcare, Bio-Rad said.