Orolia, a precision electronics technology group, has acquired Sweden’s Pendulum Instruments, the European leader in the field of time and frequency calibration, measurement and analysis. As well as giving Orolia market access to this important technology, the acquisition is an integral part of the company’s strategy to establish product leadership in key industries and allows the group to expand its geographical presence in the fast-growing economies of Eastern Europe, Russia and China.
With a rich heritage in test and measurement instrumentation and a turnover of €5 M in 2007, Pendulum Instruments is headquartered in Stockholm and has offices and subsidiaries in China, Russia and the US. It is also an industry leader serving the electronics, communications, metrology and military markets with a product portfolio of frequency counters, frequency standards, frequency distribution systems and wireless test equipment.
As a complementary fit to Orolia’s existing time and frequency businesses, which comprises T4 Science, SpectraTime and Spectracom, the acquisition allows the companies to mutually benefit from global distribution channels, vertical integration of key system components and local support. In line with the decentralized management culture of Orolia, Pendulum Instruments and its subsidiaries will continue to operate under their own brand and under the leadership of their current management team.
Jean-Yves Courtois, Orolia’s chairman and CEO, stated, “The acquisition of Pendulum Instruments, with its entrepreneurial management team, a software development centre in Saint-Petersburg (Russia), its wide sales network, and a strong presence in Eastern Europe and Asia, constitutes a unique opportunity for Orolia to go one step forward in its plan to build a global worldwide leader in iPrecision Systems for Critical Operations.”
Harald Kruger, CEO of Pendulum, replied, “We are delighted about joining Orolia because of the group’s technological expertise and its international dimension and culture.” He added, “The exciting synergies at the technical and sales levels with the other Orolia companies will allow us to strengthen our product, support and service offers for our customers, and to leverage our past efforts in developing a strong hardware and software team and a worldwide sales network covering more than 100 countries."