Pfäffikon SZ, April 2, 2009 - Oerlikon closed the sale of its former business unit Oerlikon Esec yesterday. All shares, certain assets and affiliates related thereto which comprise the Esec business unit have been transferred to the buyer, Dutch company BE Semiconductor Industries N.V. (Besi). Besi transferred 2.8 million of its ordinary shares held in treasury to Oerlikon as consideration for the acquisition.
OC Oerlikon group and Besi (Euronext: BESI) announced on January 26 this year an agreement to sell Oerlikon Esec. Yesterday, both companies finalized the transaction according to plan. Oerlikon CEO Dr. Uwe Krüger said: "The successful completion of this divestiture marks an important milestone for Oerlikon in streamlining its portfolio around the core competencies in applications for thin film and coating. The smooth integration of Besi and Esec with its outstanding products and technologies will further improve the joined company's competitiveness in the future." With this move, Oerlikon's exposure to the cyclical semiconductor market declines to a low single digit percent of sales. In commenting on the transaction, Richard W. Blickman, President and CEO of Besi explained: "The purchase of Esec is a complementary product acquisition that fits well with our goal of becoming the world's leading assembly equipment company. In combination with our Datacon product portfolio, the addition of Esec significantly expands our share of the die bonding system market, one of the most rapidly growing segments of the assembly equipment business."
About Esec
Founded in 1968, Esec is a leading global manufacturer of die bonding equipment for the semiconductor, telecommunications and smart card industries based in Cham, Switzerland. It also manufactures and services wire bonding systems from its Singapore assembly facility. Esec has an estimated installed base in excess of 9,000 systems at customer locations worldwide. In fiscal 2008, Oerlikon Esec reported sales of CHF 126m and employed 515 people at December 31, 2008.
About Oerlikon
Oerlikon (SIX: OERL) is one of the world's leading international high-tech industrial groups specializing in machine and plant engineering. The company is a leader in the field of industrial solutions and innovative technologies for textile manufacture, thin-film solar and thin-film coating, drive, precision and vacuum systems. With roots in Switzerland and a long tradition stretching back 100 years, Oerlikon is a global player with a workforce of almost 18 500 at 180 locations in 37 different countries. The company's sales amounted to CHF 4.8 billion in 2008 and it ranks either first or second in the respective global markets.
About BE Semiconductor Industries N.V.
BE Semiconductor Industries N.V. designs, develops, manufactures, markets and services die sorting, flip chip and multi-chip die bonding, packaging and plating equipment for the semiconductor industry's assembly operations. Its customers consist primarily of leading U.S., European and Asian semiconductor manufacturers, assembly subcontractors and industrial companies which utilize its products for both array connect and conventional leadframe manufacturing processes. For more information about Besi, please visit our website at www.besi.com.
