Photonics Firms Stress Communications

SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- Because investors are eagerly buying up stock for companies with the words "optical communication" in their description, photonics firms are continuing to eagerly reorganize their business units to strut their communications stuff.
The September round of restructuring resembles previous versions, even in company names.
Coherent Inc. of Santa Clara, Calif., led the wave, announcing the new Photonics and Telecom-Actives groups, each led by an executive vice president. The Photonics Group merges the former Auburn, Laser and Semiconductor groups under the direction of John Ambroseo. In Telecom-Actives, Vittorio Fossati will take on the Tampere operation in Finland and the optically pumped semiconductor technology, and develop and acquire active communication device technologies.
JDS Uniphase Corp. of Nepean, Ontario, Canada, changed some structure to integrate talent from recent acquisitions. David King will be president of the semiconductor products group, which combines the optical amplifier and pump laser business, and Maurice Tavares will be president of the fiber optic products group, which includes the former E-Tek Dynamics business. In addition, two other former E-Tek executives, Scott Parker and Nadine Melka, were appointed vice presidents of global sales and marketing, respectively.
Spectra-Physics of Mountain View, Calif., realigned its business groups under four senior vice presidents. George Balogh will head the Passive Telecommunications Group comprising the passive components, optical systems, and feeder plant and external optics business units. Chuck Chandler will lead Active Telecommunications, which comprises the Opto Power and active telecom systems business units. Steve Sheng will oversee the Lasers Group, which comprises the industrial and scientific, OEM, commercial laser and Laser Analytical Systems business units. (The latter unit is the result of the September acquisition of LAS GmbH.) In addition, the company's Distribution Group, under Leif Alexandersson, has a new business unit: worldwide telecommunications.