Paoli, PA—To expand its high-end analytical instrument platform, Ametek Inc. reports that it has acquired Taylor Hobson Holdings Ltd. (Leicester, U.K.) for approximately ₤51 million.
Paoli, PA— To expand its high-end analytical instrument platform, Ametek Inc. reports that it has acquired Taylor Hobson Holdings Ltd. (Leicester, U.K.) for approximately₤51 million.
‘We’re very excited about our acquisition of Taylor Hobson,’ says Frank Hermance, Ametek’s chairman and CEO. ‘This is a highly differentiated business, focusing on the most complex and critical measurements for its customers. Taylor Hobson significantly expands our measurement capabilities into ultra-precision applications, and is an excellent fit with our strategic focus on adding more high-end analytical instrument businesses. With this acquisition, our high-end analytical businesses now total more than $250 million in annual revenue.’
Taylor Hobson is joining Ametek’s Electronic Instruments Group (EIG), which produces advanced monitoring, testing, calibrating and display instruments. EIG sells its instruments to the process, aerospace, power, and industrial markets worldwide and had 2003 sales of approximately $560 million. Taylor Hobson expects 2004 sales of approximately₤38 million.
Taylor Hobson designs, manufactures, and services a broad array of contact and non-contact instrumentation for ultra-precise measurement applications. These instruments measure surface texture, shape and roundness, dimensions that are critical in many industries including optics, semiconductor, hard disk drive, automotive and bearing manufacturing. Nanotechnology is becoming an increasingly important market for Taylor Hobson’s technology and represents Ametek’s first entry into this field.
More recently, Taylor Hobson introduced new products based on non-contact optical technology, including the Coherence Correlation Interferometer (CCI). This product sets new standards in three-dimensional surface analysis with measurement resolution at the sub-nanometer level.
‘Taylor Hobson’s instrumentation is able to measure the shape and finish of surfaces to the sub-nanometer level. This measurement capability is a critical enabling technology to support product development, manufacturing process engineering, and quality control,’ adds Hermance. ‘As product geometries continue to shrink, Taylor Hobson’s instrumentation becomes even more important.’
Control Engineering Daily News Desk
Jim Montague, news editor
[email protected]
