Basler AG Sells Optical Media Business To Xiris Automation Of Ontario

Monday, Basler AG, a machine vision technology company, reported that it has sold the intellectual property and all assets associated with its Optical Media business to Ontario, Canada-based Xiris Automation. Financial aspects of the deal is not revealed.

The company said that effective immediately, Xiris will assume all aspects of sales, marketing, research and development, production and service of the Basler ‘‘R’‘ Ident Code Reader and ‘‘L’‘ Print Inspection Product Lines as well as the sales of service and spare parts of the ‘‘S’‘ Scanner Product line.

Basler said that this transaction is congruent with its previously communicated desire to follow a strategic path focusing on larger, growing markets. It added that the transaction is a bittersweet one since the Optical Media business was the origin of Basler over 20 years ago and was the company's largest business segment for many years.

However, Basler said that due to the global saturation of CD and DVD manufacturing along with the smaller and slower penetration of Blu-Ray format discs, capital investments in the optical disc industry have been decreasing for several years. As a result the company's revenue has been decreasing in the optical media sector to a relatively insignificant level in recent years while still requiring a disproportionate amount of attention and complexity.

Basler said that selling this business allows it to reduce complexity and focus on the business with cameras for Industrial and Security Use and with Surface Inspection systems for the LCD- and the Solar Industry.

Basler Vision Technologies produces vision technology, the technology on which machine vision is based. The company develops, produces and distributes digital cameras for applications in industry, medicine, traffic, and video surveillance, and Surface Inspection for the flat panel, solar and rubber/elastomer industries.

Xiris Automation Inc. manufactures ‘‘machines that can see’‘ quality defects in manufactured goods. The camera-based systems include sophisticated optics, electronics and software for Quality Control inspection, Product Recognition and Traceability. The company develops technology for integration into machine vision systems, which are designed, built and serviced for a global client base from facilities in Canada, Germany, India and Taiwan.