US-based Materion will buy Optics Balzers in an all-cash transaction. Optics Balzers, with headquarters in Liechtenstein and sites in Germany and Malaysia, have been generating revenue of around USD $67m annually in recent years. They’re a privately-held industry partner for the development and production of coated optical components and subassemblies, and a provider of optical thin film coatings.
The firm’s shareholders decided, in accord with the company’s growth strategy, to sell to Materion. Balzer CEO Detlev Haeusler says “We are serving one of the most attractive growth markets and the key factor of success is growth. Thanks to the new shareholder, Optics Balzers will be able to implement the global expansion strategy more quickly, and better exploit opportunities”.
Materion supply specialty materials including alloys, beryllium products, composite/clad metals, thin film deposition materials, and precision optics; 2019 sales totalled around $1.2bn. Optics Balzers expect to benefit from Materion’s sales strength in North America, and Materion from Balzers’ market position in Europe. The current market development made clear that Optics Balzers could achieve its growth targets with an additional location in the USA, while the Optics Balzers plant in Malaysia fits into Materion’s road ma.