Aug 2 2007
Oxford Instruments announced today that it has received irrevocable acceptances and the backing of management in the acquisition of WAS AG, a leading German manufacturer and international supplier of Arc/Spark optical emission spectrometers and preparatory equipment used to analyse the chemical properties of metals. An offer for the remaining minority shares has been made.
WAS’ technology and expertise in mobile, portable and stationary optical emission spectrometry (OES) will significantly strengthen and complement Oxford Instruments Industrial Analysis’ existing product range of industrial spectrometers. The OES technique is particularly suited for the measurement of most elements including key ones such as Carbon, Sulfur, Phosphorous and Nitrogen, in all metals. Inspection companies use OES for maintenance checks at petrochemical and nuclear plants where use of the correct alloy is vital. Customers in the aviation, oil refining and metal fabrication industries will now have a greater choice of high performance tools to meet their demanding Positive Material Identification (PMI) requirements. Metal foundries and recyclers will value the excellent throughput and price / performance that our enhanced product range will offer for their Quality Control and trading requirements.
This acquisition is part of the strategy put in place by Chief Executive, Jonathan Flint, to acquire complementary technologies and double the size of the Company over five years.
Bradley Boyer, President of Oxford Instruments Industrial Analysis (OIIA), said: ‘This acquisition is part of our on-going strategy to deliver added value to our customers and to grow our share of the OES market. We are delighted that WAS will be joining us, and look forward to working with them to deliver an enhanced service to our customers.’
Vito Angona, Managing Director of WAS, is joining the OIIA Board. ‘We are delighted to be part of the Oxford Instruments group of companies” he said, “and look forward to playing a significant role in the next stage of the business growth’