Newport buys RAM Optical Instrumentation

Newport Corp. (Irvine, CA) agreed to acquire RAM Optical Instrumentation Inc. (Huntington Beach, CA) for 1.25 million shares of Newport`s common stock. RAM Optical makes video-based measurement and inspection systems for industrial applications. In early March, Newport`s stock stood at 7 3/4 points. In the fiscal year ended March 1994, RAM Optical had net sales of about $8.7 million. Newport CEO Richard Schmidt noted, "Ram Optical`s video inspection and measurement capability fits well with our