NanoWorld AG acquires NANOSENSORS GmbH & Co KG
The Announcement is also available for free download.
Neuchâtel, October 1. – With the acquisition of the assets from the German based NANOSENSORS GmbH & Co KG, NanoWorld AG expands its presence and market share in the 01 tip business and emphasizes its vision to be the leading global supplier for integrated solutions of nanotechnology in high technology applications within selected markets
The NanoWorld AG – NANOSENSORS GmbH & Co KG acquisition agreement has already been signed by Dr. Olaf Ohlsson (CEO NANOSENSORS GmbH & Co KG) and Mr. Manfred Detterbeck (CEO NanoWorld AG) and will be under full force as of November 1st., 2002. NANOSENSORS™ will be integrated into the NanoWorld AG, but will continue as an independent business unit with its own well known label, marketing and its well established distribution channels.
With the acquisition of NANOSENSORS the former “ME TOO” strategy of NanoWorld AG will be transformed into a strategy that maintains the branding of the two trade names NanoWorld® and NANOSENSORS™. Their respective product ranges will be encouraged to develop in different directions. Their product development will be kept separate and independent now and in future. This will lead to improved and faster innovations and technical breakthroughs. The present two production facilities, one in Switzerland and one in Germany will be retained and expanded to meet the future demand of the steadily growing SPM business.
For the time being the present product series of NanoWorld® and the present product series of NANOSENSORS™ will remain unchanged at both brands. In accordance with NanoWorld AG’s remodelled (“two brands under one roof”) strategy both NanoWorld® and NANOSENSORS™ will additionally introduce their respective new SPM probe product series. This initial step will promote the individual development of each brand’s product range.
The experienced NANOSENSORS team will join the NanoWorld Group and looks forward to a beneficial and fruitful cooperation. All contact persons will remain in place in order to serve and satisfy customer needs even better in future. Furthermore NanoWorld AG could win Dr. Olaf Ohlsson as a consultant for the NanoWorld Group.
With NANOSENSORS’ wide experience and NanoWorld AG’s strong financial background, the united company becomes the outstanding number one in the SPM probe market. Their combined innovative force and expanded production capacity will boost NanoWorld AG’s competitive advantage and will lead to even more strength to seize all opportunities of the growing SPM probe business for the sake of their customers.
NANOSENSORS:
In 1991 Dr. Olaf Wolter a physicist and former employee of IBM started his own company called NANOPROBE. Dr. Wolter’s research and development lead to basic technologies
necessary for the batch processing of the first silicon SPM cantilever probes. Further development of these technologies placed NANOPROBE in a position to become the world’s first company to satisfy the emerging needs for high quality AFM probes. In 1992/1993 Dr. Wolter changed not only his name to Ohlsson in the course of his marriage but also the name of the company to NANOSENSORS. Batch processing technologies were further developed to fulfil the demand of an ever growing SPM community. The widely used Silicon AFM probes with a tip radius of around 10 nm were famous as ‘Wolter’-levers honouring their inventor. In the 1990ies NANOSENSORS achievements were honoured by various technology awards. To the present day NANOSENSORS’ further expansion and subsequently increased research and development activities lead to many new products.
NanoWorld AG:
In 2000 NanoWorld AG was founded with venture capital and strong financial background in Neuchatel, Switzerland. In close collaboration with the IMT (Institute of Microtechnology University of Neuchâtel ) and the CSEM (Swiss Center of Electronics and Microtechnology) and its new high advanced manufacturing technology NanoWorld quickly achieved a reputation as high quality SPM probe manufacturer. In a very short time Mr. Manfred Detterbeck, microsystems engineer, master of business and engineering and director of NanoWorld AG lead the company to a success. Based on his ambitiously implemented “ME TOO” strategy, his high customer orientation and a strong world wide marketing NanoWorld AG joined the top ranks of the SPM probe manufacturers.