May 22, 2007 -- Shimadzu Corp. announced plans to acquire Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd.'s vacuum pump operations, paving the way for the precision equipment producer to manufacture larger pumps. While a price has not yet been disclosed, Shimadzu aims to conclude a final agreement and the business takeover this fiscal year. The company now specializes in smaller pumps, which are used as components of chipmaking devices. The Mitsubishi Heavy business is for large pumps, which are used mainly for equipment to manufacture flat-panel televisions.

Combined revenue in the two firms' pump businesses now totals slightly more than 9 billion yen (US$74.25 million). Shimadzu aims to boost this figure to 15 billion yen by fiscal 2009. Mitsubishi Heavy's manufacturing facilities and related patents for turbomolecular pumps will be sold without the segment's 30 or so workers. Production know-how will be supplied to Shimadzu over roughly three years.

Source: Asia Pulse
Source: Factiva