Strategic move expands Photonics Solutions Portfolio

Following the acquisition of Holographix® LLC, Headwall Photonics® (Boston, MA), a leading designer and manufacturer of master holographic gratings, spectrographs and spectrometers for OEM customers in the industrial, government, academic and research end markets, has found immediate expansion in industry sectors highly complimentary to, or the same as, its core business. For over 25 years Holographix has focused on micro-and nano-structure replication of high-performance, custom-designed photonic solutions for the life sciences, semiconductor, aerospace & defense and metrology markets.

Explaining further, Don Battistoni, President of Headwall told International Labmate, that the addition of micro-replication technology to its hyperspectral solutions and imaging expertise would provide channels to new customers and markets, while strengthening the company’s product portfolios through expanded manufacturing capabilities that would support future growth.

“Like Headwall’s OEM grating and assembly business, the Holographix customer base is quite diverse.  While there is certainly some overlap with Headwall, their work in consumer electronics and automotive opens new markets for Headwall technology.  In addition, the Holographix replication technology provides the scalability we need to address high volume opportunities within our core markets that are simply not possible with our master holographic grating capability. 

"The added ability to fabricate high precision micro-lens arrays, structured diffusers, waveguides and replicated mirrors facilitates value-add within our current customer base and opens the door to adjacent high-volume applications” he added.

Talking of plans for current infrastructure development Mr Battistoni continued: “At the moment, we do not have any expansion plans for additional manufacturing sites beyond the three we maintain in Fitchburg, Bolton and now, Marlborough, Massachusetts. However, as we realise the growth we anticipate from the combination of Headwall and Holographix, we will certainly consider expansion within existing locations or potentially new sites that meet our needs.”

“Headwall’s mastering expertise and Holographix’s replication capabilities go hand-in-hand. Therefore, it is clear to us that Headwall is the perfect complementary partner for Holographix,” said David Rowe, President and CEO of the Marlborough-based micro-fabrication business. “In addition to the close geographic proximity of our respective manufacturing facilities, the two companies share a common culture that is committed to excellence for our customers.  Access to Headwall’s master holographic gratings and OEM assembly capabilities, as well as their commercial infrastructure, will help Holographix realise the inherent scalability of our replication technology,” he added.

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