April 16, 2004 Somerset, NJ, and Cranbury, NJ -- Fiber-optic products supplier OFS today announced the sale of its Optical Channel Monitor (OCM) product line to Princeton Lightwave Inc. (PLI). The acquisition will enhance Princeton Lightwave's product offering into optical networking subsystems. PLI already offers optical devices and modules based on semiconductor sources and detectors for applications in communication, sensing, and instrumentation. PLI now owns the physical assets, rights, designs, know-how, and other intellectual property from OFS' Optical Channel Monitor product line.
"This is a very good agreement for all the parties involved, including customers and employees," contends Dr. Yves Dzialowski, CEO of Princeton Lightwave. "Major telecommunication system suppliers have confidence in Princeton Lightwave's ability to deliver these complex optical instruments and a very rigorous transition plan is already under way." Dzialowski confirmed that PLI has hired all current OFS employees connected with the design and manufacture of OCMs and that the team is already involved in executing the transition.
The transaction enables OFS to sharpen its business focus, reports Dr. Timothy Murray, president of the Specialty Photonics Division of OFS that developed the OCM. "Developing and manufacturing specialty optical fibers and modules and components that rely on specialty fibers for their function are our core activities," he explains. "We are the leading supplier of erbium and other rare earth doped fibers, dispersion shifted compensation modules, and a wide array of other specialty fibers to telecommunications, military, medical, aerospace, automotive, and geophysical market applications."
Dr. Murray adds that a big factor in the decision was PLI's commitment to employing the entire OFS OCM manufacturing team and to continuing to supply OCMs to current and new customers. "We're very happy with PLI's decision to support this product line, based on several critical component technologies with which they are very familiar," he says. "We have made the best arrangement possible for the customers and the OCM team while aligning our business to our core competencies."
Financial details of the deal were not disclosed.