Business

IMI Expands Technology and Product Portfolio with VIA optronics Acquisition

Laguna—(PHStocks)—Integrated Micro-Electronics Inc. (PSE: IMI) and the shareholders of VIA optronics GmbH (VIA) announced the signing of a definitive agreement under which IMI will acquire a 76 percent stake in VIA, a leading optical bonding and display solutions provider, for €47.4 million. Company founder Jürgen Eichner will retain a 24 percent ownership and continue to lead VIA as Managing Director, reporting to Arthur R. Tan, IMI’s chief executive officer. The acquisition is expected to be accretive to IMI’s earnings per share starting 2017. The transaction, which will be financed through debt, is expected to close in the third quarter of 2016.

Alpina Partners is selling all of its 55% shareholding as part of the transaction. Alpina Partners has been a shareholder in the company since June 2010.

Optical bonding is a technology that significantly enhances the visibility and performance of display systems, especially for outdoor use. The technology also enhances the quality, throughput and efficiency of the display system integration process. VIA’s bonding material and intellectual property on its optical bonding processes, which can enable high yield bonding for curved, plastic, 3D and large size applications, puts VIA in a strong position to address the growing demand for displays in automotive and industrial outdoor applications. VIA’s experience in high reliability markets also matches IMI’s existing offerings in the automotive, industrial and medical markets.

“This transaction represents a unique opportunity to accelerate IMI’s growth and broaden VIA’s opportunities by leveraging off of IMI’s global footprint and resources,” Tan said. “Together, IMI and VIA will be best positioned to revolutionize the way the world experiences vision and touch on displays. We believe the acquisition will allow IMI to strengthen its partnerships with customers by offering complementary automotive camera and display monitor solutions for advanced driver assistance systems. We look forward to further developing and utilizing the synergies between the two companies.”

“We announce today an exciting next chapter for VIA, as we have found the perfect strategic partner that is aligned with our values and growth ambitions,” Eichner said. “Once combined, we will have the scale to introduce our patented technology into automotive camera monitor systems for increased safety and effectivity. IMI has a great cultural fit with our organization and I am excited for our employees to benefit from the long-term prospects of being part of IMI.”

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.