Omron expands in Japan

Omron has acquired Scientific Technologies, Incorporated, (hereafter, STI) for a purchase price of AU$125 million.

As a result of this acquisition, Omron becomes a lead player in the 110 billion yen (approx. AU$1250 million) global safety device market, which is predicted to grow 15% per year backed by a rising trend for corporate social responsibility (CSR) that stresses improved productivity and workplace safety.

Having completed this latest acquisition, Omron plans on growing its safety business aggressively, aiming to achieve a three-fold increase in sales from 10 billion yen (AU$113 million) in fiscal year 2005 to 30 billion yen (AU$339 million) by fiscal year 2008.

STI's products include a wide range of components for safety light curtains, laser scanners, and other safety devices and services, and the company has developed strengths across multiple sectors including the automotive, semiconductor, electronic devices, food processing, chemicals and cosmetics industries.

Omron plans to accelerate new product development by integrating STI's patented optical applications, expertise in device ruggedisation, and value-added services with its own automation, sensing and control technologies.