Cergence Inc. has announced its entry into the optoelectronics industry. The firm will provide fiber assembly, contract packaging and back-end wafer processing of active and passive optoelectronic components for the defense, aerospace and telecommunications industries. The in-house capabilities of the Mount Laurel, N.J.-based company include fiber coating and thin film, automated alignment and attachment, and Telcordia qualification. Announcement of the privately held company was made at the 2002 National Fiber Optic Engineers Conference in Dallas.