Both Roentec and the PGT microanalysis business will be combined into the new Bruker AXS microanalysis group, which will focus on the $150 million per annum global X-ray microanalysis market
Bruker AXS has announced an agreement to acquire the PGT X-ray microanalysis business with annual revenues of $5-6 million from Princeton Gamma-Tech Instruments.
The terms of the transaction were not disclosed, and the acquisition is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2005.
On 14 October 2005, Bruker AXS had announced an agreement to acquire Roentec, an X-ray microanalysis company based in Berlin, Germany.
After the closing of both transactions, Roentec and the PGT Microanalysis Business will be combined into the new Bruker AXS microanalysis group, which will focus on the $150 million per annum global X-ray microanalysis market.
The PGT microanalysis business features what Bruker says is an excellent X-ray microanalysis product line, with advanced technology, and many outstanding data acquisition and analysis software features.
Moreover, the PGT microanalysis business has extensive distribution and service capabilities in the United States, the United Kingdom and France.
Roentec, a broad-based X-ray instrumentation company, has a technically leading microanalysis product line with outstanding detector technology and ultra-fast acquisition electronics.
Roentec also has developed unique mobile systems for the XRF microanalysis of works of art, as well as novel transportable total reflection X-ray fluorescence (TXRF) systems for elemental trace analysis in liquids, eg for environmental or beverage analysis.
Roentec has established good distribution and service capabilities in continental Europe, as well as in selected other countries.
Roger Durst, Bruker AXS executive vice president, commented: "Roentec and PGT both have excellent technology and products, and both have a strong customer base in complementary geographical markets.
"However, both companies also have been distribution-limited and at a size disadvantage relative to their larger competitors.
"We believe that their combined product line and software, further enhanced by additional technologies from Bruker AXS, can offer leading capabilities, as well as extensive service and support coverage to X-ray microanalysis customers anywhere in the world".
The X-ray microanalysis market consists of X-ray accessories for scanning and transmission electron microscopes, as well as of stand-alone micro X-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectrometers.
X-ray microanalysis is considered to be one of the faster growing segments of the overall X-ray analysis market.
Applications of X-ray microanalysis include nanotechnology and advanced materials research, as well as materials analysis and quality control, with customers in industry, academia and government research facilities.
Bruker AXS, with operations in X-ray diffraction (XRD) systems for advanced materials and nanotechnology research, in X-ray single crystal diffraction (SCD crystallography) systems for small molecule and protein 3D structural analysis, and in X-ray fluorescence (XRF) elemental analysis for a variety of materials analysis and quality control applications, so far has not participated in the X-ray microanalysis market segment.
