Biolin acquires KSV Instruments

Monday, October 30, 2006

Q-Sense is set to benefit from the acquisition of KSV Instruments by its parent company, Biolin AB. While continuing to operate as two independently run companies, each organisation will be able to build the advantages of working within the same group structure. KSV has been operating for more 20 years and is a specialist in the manufacture of scientific instruments used in R&D and quality assurance applications for surface chemistry and molecular film research.

The acquisition of KSV Instruments opens up new opportunities for QCM-D technology in a wider range of applications. “KSV and Q-Sense have many synergies that could be exploited to the benefit of both companies,” believes Ted Ternander, Q-Sense president. Particular areas of common interest are in application development, products, distribution and sales. As Fredrik Lindgren, Biolin’s CEO says,”KSV is a company with strong management, solid products, a position in the international market and favourable growth conditions.”

Much of KSV’s activities are aimed at surface chemists with sales in 50 countries served by a network of 30 distributors as well as its own sales organisation in the US, Sweden and in Finland where it is headquartered. In the last financial year, KSV sales were EUR 2.9 million with plans to almost double that figure over the next three years as a number of new products come on stream over the next 12 months.

The company has developed a range of measurement instruments for surface treatment, measurement and characterization. Techniques and instruments include Drop Volume Tensiometry and Sine Wave Viscometry, dip-coaters that can be used for preparation of self-assembled monolayers, layer-by-layer assemblies, sol-gel coatings as well as QCM technology. In addition to academic research, KSV instruments are used in industry for semiconductor, cosmetic, paint, foods, detergent and plastic applications.

“This is a very positive development from Q-Sense’s perspective,” says Ted Ternander, “as it has the potential to bring our own QCM-D technology to the attention of new customers and to build on the common strengths of both companies while still remaining distinct and separate in their own markets.”