Jenoptik Adds to Berlin Sites: Week in Brief: 06/30/23

Jenoptik has completed its new site on Gross-Berliner Damm in Berlin. In the new production facilities and state-of-the-art environment, more than 100 employees will develop and manufacture optical components and systems especially for dentistry (intraoral scanners) and robot-assisted surgery. The €20 million ($21.7 million) facility features more than 1000 sq m of cleanroom production space and around 600 sq m of logistics space, as well as offices and recreation rooms. Additional space of about 600 sq m will be held in reserve for future growth.

HAMAMATSU, Japan — To meet growing demand for opto-semiconductor products, Hamamatsu Photonics will construct a new factory at its main factory campus in Hamamatsu. The factory is expected to almost double the company’s production space. The location is scheduled for completion in June 2025. The total cost of the project is expected to be approximately $255 million.

Graphical rendering of Hamamatsu’s planned facility. Courtesy of Hamamatsu.

OBERKOCHEN, Germany — ZEISS has acquired trail camera specialist VenTrade GmbH with its SECACAM brand. With this acquisition, ZEISS expands its product portfolio in the hunting segment. VenTrade will retain its headquarters in Cologne, Germany. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

HAWTHORNE, Calif. — OSI Systems’ security division has received an approximately $12 million order from a European customer to provide service and support for RTT 110 (Real Time Tomography) explosive detection systems that are used to screen airport passengers’ checked baggage. The RTT employs a proprietary stationary gantry approach to provide high-resolution 3D imaging.

SEATTLE — NLM Photonics, a semiconductor company leveraging hybrid electro-optic modulation technology to transmit more data with less power, has received $1 million in new funding to drive product commercialization, including engagement with fabs and hyperscale data center operators. The funding is led by Tokyo Ohka Kogyo, an advanced electronics materials manufacturer and semiconductor industry supplier, and Hamamatsu Photonics K.K.

RICHARDSON, Texas — Optex Systems Holdings, a manufacturer of precision optical sighting systems for defense and commercial markets, has received an Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity order for five different optical assemblies with a maximum value of $5.3 million. With this order, the current Optex backlog is in excess of $38 million.

TUCSON, Ariz. — Applied Energetics, a developer of ultrashort pulse laser technologies, will expand the capabilities and footprint of its Tucson headquarters facility with a new, approximately 8300-sq-ft facility located in the same building at the University of Arizona Tech Park. The company currently operates within an ITAR and laser safety compliant facility totaling approximately 13,000 sq ft, of which approximately 4800 sq ft is dedicated to a class 1000 (ISO 6) cleanroom. This expansion will bring the company’s total footprint to approximately 21,300 sq ft with the option to lease an additional 5500 sq ft.

Applied Energetics’ corporate headquarters is in the University of Arizona Tech Park. Courtesy of Applied Energetics.

SUNNYVALE, Calif. — Analytical instrumentation company Shimadzu Corp. has collaborated with AI and robotics company Shyld to develop an AI-enhanced UVC disinfection technology for health care applications. The technology combines Shimadzu’s optical technology with Shyld’s AI innovations to help control infection rates using UVC to kill pathogens on multiple surfaces.

SAN FRANCISCO — Ouster, a provider of high-performance lidar sensors, said it is implementing additional cost reductions, including a workforce reduction, to further position the company for long-term success. The company is reportedly on track to achieve previously disclosed annualized merger-related cost synergies of at least $80 million to $85 million by the end of the fourth quarter of 2023. The company also reaffirmed its second-quarter 2023 guidance of between $18 million and $20 million in revenue, including sales of all combined company products for the entire period.

COLOMBES, France — Materials technology company Arkema will acquire Glenwood Private Equity’s 54% stake in the listed South Korean company PI Advanced Materials (PIAM) for €728 million ($791 million) enterprise value. The company will be fully consolidated in Arkema’s accounts. PIAM is a provider of polyimide films used in lithium-ion batteries, 5G antennas, and high-resolution OLED displays and flexible screens. The transaction is fully financed in cash.