Ilminster, England--Gooch & Housego, a manufacturer of optical components and systems, has completed the acquisition of the entire issued share capital of Constelex Technology Enablers (Athens, Greece), a company that makes low-noise, high power, and custom optical fiber amplifiers and lasers. Last February, Constelex announced its strategic decision to focus on aerospace and defense applications, fueled by R&D activities to develop a complete line of systems for harsh environments and space-qualified optical modules and subsystems.
Gooch & Housego says the acquisition is aligned with its strategic objective of moving up the value chain by leveraging its components to develop a higher-added-value capability at the subsystems and systems level. In February 2013 Gooch & Housego established the Systems Technology Group (STG) at its Torquay, England facility to function as a separate business unit to design, develop, and prototype systems-level products. The objective was to build a multi-disciplinary team with expertise in mechanical, electronic, and software design and modeling, and to integrate these technologies with the company’s expertise in photonics.
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The acquisition is a significant expansion of the capabilities of the STG and should enable Gooch & Housego to make a contribution to the European Space Agency's Advanced Research in Telecommunications Systems (ARTES) European Component Initiative. As a result, Gooch & Housego says is well positioned to fulfill its objective of becoming a global leader in space photonics, with design and manufacturing of space-qualified hardware in both the USA and EU.