PLEASANTON, CA - Omron, a manufacturer and provider of advanced electronic components, has acquired Aduro, a Silicon Valley-based manufacturer of precision high-speed optical subassemblies. In the agreement, Omron’s Electronic Components Business Unit (ECB) assumed Aduro’s assets on December 30, 2005, and established a new subsidiary called Omron Network Products LLC (ONP), which includes the entire Aduro team. Omron, which has been developing a new line of optical component products including CWDM devices, passive optical switches, and microlens arrays, has targeted the optical components product line as a key segment for growth of its components business.
The combined companies have begun working with industry leaders to develop the next-generation optoelectronic components and OSAs. Aduro was established in 2003 after buying Blaze Network Products-they now have a technology base for LX4, a key optical interface defined within the 10 Gigabit Ethernet standard, which uses four multiplexed wavelengths (see Fig.). Aduro is also developing new connectivity products for high-speed video transmission to and within the home.
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“The acquisition brings much-desired financial resources to the company,” says Brian Peters, former CEO of Aduro and now president of ONP. “Our customers, as well as the industry in general, have been pressing us to quickly ramp into mass production. The influx of capital will allow us to ramp for the LX4 transceiver market, which is gaining momentum in the marketplace, as well as several other markets, including consumer electronics.” The new company plans to expand its business for fiber-to-the-premises (FTTP) and home network by developing products in collaboration with Omron, which plans to launch ONP’s products in the Japanese market as well. The business and manufacturing operations of the new ONP will continue at the same Aduro location in Pleasanton.
