Instrumentation company Fei has bought Munich, Germany based-Till Photonics from fibre and diode laser maker Toptica for €14.5 million.
Till provides high resolution digital light microscopes and high speed imaging systems for live cell microscopy and is expected to have revenues of €8 million this calendar year. Fei, an Oregon based firm, provides imaging and analysis systems for research and industry.
Till was founded in 1993 by professor Rainer Uhl at Munich University. Till's office and 40 staff are still located in Munich. In 2009 Toptica Photonics became a major shareholder. Dr Thomas Weber, a co-founder and president of Toptica Photonics, said: ‘While Till was looking for interesting OEM opportunities, the initiative Fei offered us is a significant financial return which will strengthen our own future growth’.
With Fei’s acquisition of Till and its correlative microscopy technology for cellular biology the Oregon based firm plans to accelerate the growth of its life sciences business. Fei’s goal is to double the size of the market it serves in the next three years.
