Finnish technology company FocalSpec has been acquired by TKH Group NV, a Dutch listed technology company. FocalSpec will join the LMI Technologies group, owned by TKH and strengthen further its position in inline metrology.
Sauli Törmälä (left) and Terry Arden.
FocalSpec is a global pioneer in designing and manufacturing high-precision, high-speed optical sensors. Their unique and patented Line Confocal Imaging (LCI) technology is used in diverse, demanding quality assurance applications e.g. in the electronics industry. FocalSpec was founded in 2009 as a spin-off from VTT, the National Technical Research Institute of Finland and is
headquartered in Oulu, Finland. Apart from VTT Ventures, the company owners included Nordic Option, Veritas Pension Insurance, Sauli Törmälä as well as several other private investors.
During 2019, FocalSpec made a breakthrough in mobile device manufacturing. The most important customers of FocalSpec today are system integrators providing QA functionality for the production lines of the world’s leading mobile device manufacturers.
To strengthen the resources required to sustain and continue the high growth of the business operations, FocalSpec has yesterday accepted the purchase offer of TKH Group NV for the entire capital stock of FocalSpec Oy. TKH Group is a Dutch listed technology company focused on high-end innovative technologies in high growth markets within three business segments: Telecom, Building, and Industrial Solutions. TKH Group operates on a global scale, with growth concentrated in Europe, North America and Asia. Employing 6,533 people, TKH achieved a turnover of € 1.6 billion in 2018.
With this acquisition, TKH Group expands its vision technology with industry-leading confocal technology that solves applications in markets such as consumer electronics, battery, pharma, semiconductor and medical. FocalSpec will join the LMI Technologies group and operate under the LMI brand – a global leader in 3D inline scanning and inspection.
“Line confocal sensors offer a leap in technological performance for scanning opaque, transparent and curved materials, such as hybrid glass assemblies common in cell phone manufacturing. By combining this game-changing optical approach with our proven Gocator inspection software and volume manufacturing know-how, customers will be able to solve challenging inline metrology applications at a price/performance and ease of use never seen in the market today”, said Terry Arden, CEO, LMI Technologies.
Sauli Törmälä, Chairman of FocalSpec: “The addition of LCI technology to the 3D product portfolio of LMI Technologies builds a highly complementary set of solutions for metrology applications in critical assembly processes. Along with their leading inspection software, we believe FocalSpec and LMI will be a true powerhouse of metrology in the years to come and look forward to joining forces.”
The FocalSpec unit in Oulu, Finland will act as the LMI competence center for the LCI technology globally and the current activities will continue, focused on product development and operations. The development work will gain additional resources and platforms from the LMI Group’s existing metrology operations. FocalSpec’s sales organization will be strengthened considerably as the products will get access to the LMI Group’s extensive sales network globally.