SICK acquires RVSI’s material handling business

Minneapolis, Minn. and Canton Mass. – SICK Group , a privately held manufacturer of sensor technology, and Robotic Vision Systems Inc. (RVSI), announced December 19 the acquisition, by affiliates of the SICK Group, of RVSI’s Material Handling business.

RVSI is a supplier of machine vision technology. Its material handling business, a product line within RVSI Acuity CiMatrix, is a supplier of advanced barcode reading systems for high-speed sortation. These systems are used by package delivery services as well as by major catalog and mail order organizations.

‘This acquisition propels us into second position for automatic Identification technology worldwide,’ said Alberto Bertomeu, president of SICK Inc. ‘We’re pleased to enhance our product portfolio, and acquire an excellent team of engineers, research and development professionals, sales representatives, technicians and a veteran management team.

‘The combination of the two companies represents an unparalleled opportunity for both companies’ customers, ‘added Mr. Bertomeu. ‘For our current customers, the acquisition expands the breadth of product offerings engineered and built to SICK standards. Our new customers will now have the ability to tap into our leading-edge technology for not only automatic identification, but industrial sensors and safety systems as well.’

‘We will continue to expand through acquisitions, organic growth, and strategic partnerships. We also see the opportunity for SICK and RVSI to jointly explore sales opportunities in markets of common interest,’ Mr. Bertomeu said. ‘In the coming months we will look globally to find ways to leverage each other’s technology strengths, products and services.’

RVSI’s portfolio of products involved in this transaction include, the entire CiMax brand, laser based line scanners, maximum performance laser-based omni directional scanners, and the omni directional imaging scanner. These products are primarily used for providing solutions for large material handling applications in the retail distribution and parcel sorting markets.

SICK Inc. is known for its industrial sensors, safety, and automatic identification solutions. For automatic identification solutions it employs laser-based, fixed position technology. The recent acquisition of Lazerdata, in July 2001, added complete systems, integration, and servicing capabilities. The addition of RVSI’s omni directional technology will round out a complete product portfolio. SICK Inc. primarily serves customers in factory and process automation.

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