Trumpf has announced its intention to buy the entire share of SPI Lasers, in what will be a ‘strategic’ acquisition, according to SPI Lasers CEO David Parker.
SPI Lasers has a strong focus on fibre laser technology and this acquisition will provide Trumpf with expertise in a previously untapped area of the laser market. ‘When you look at laser placement, Trumpf is conspicuous by its absence in the fibre laser market,’ Parker told http://www.electrooptics.com/. ‘We [SPI] have a technology platform that when combined with their [Trumpf] technology will up their game.’
Trumpf expects SPI Lasers to be at the centre of a fibre laser group within the Trumpf Group and operate as a merchant laser business unit within the Laser Technology and Electronics Division of the company. SPI will continue to develop its portfolio of OEM and stand-alone fibre laser products and the business will operate from the existing facilities in Southampton, UK.
Parker said: ‘We wanted to drive the business forward and to do that and compete against big players there are certain parts of technology that Trumpf have that we do not, and we wanted to supplement that.’
‘We have been trading well this year, so it’s not about running out of money, this is a strategic acquisition for Trumpf and for our business,’ he added.
And strategies are also changing within the laser market, according to Parker, who added: ‘Large laser companies are trying to find a place with fibre lasers and we wanted to come into a bigger family and help Trumpf fill that hole [within fibre laser technology].’
Peter Leibinger, vice-chairman of the Managing Board and head of the Laser Technology and Electronics Division, echoed this collaborative feeling and said: ‘A broad product portfolio of SPI Lasers in the fibre laser segment would complement Trumpf’s existing product and technology platforms and create a stronger combined industrial laser offering.’
