AGILENT TECHNOLOGIES INC. has acquired substantially all of the assets of Taiwan-based Escort Instruments Corporation, a supplier of low-cost test and measurement instruments and a subsidiary of Unitech Printed Circuit Board Corporation.
The financial details of the acquisition were not disclosed.
The acquisition includes Escort Instruments' R&D, marketing, intellectual property and the majority of the subsidiary's low-cost instrument product portfolio.
Agilent's growth strategy in the lowcost instrument market will be supported by this acquisition, as well as add R&D expertise and products to further enhance the company's existing lowcost instrument portfolio. The Escort Instruments assets will be integrated into the Basic Instruments Division of Agilent's Electronic Measurements business.
According to Ee Huei Sin, vice president and general manager of Agilent's Basic Instruments Division, "The acquisition demonstrates Agilent's commitment to providing high-quality, low-cost instruments to customers worldwide. Escort Instruments' assets will offer Agilent customers an expanded portfolio of low-cost instruments, and the R&D expertise to continue to grow this product line for the future."
Twenty Escort Instruments' employees have joined Agilent in Taipei.
An increasing number of field engineers and technicians worldwide are asking for measurement instruments that can be easily transported for installation and maintenance activities. The acquisition of Escort Instruments will support Agilent's low-cost instrument initiative, which is focused on providing high-value test equipment in the key areas that engineers are looking for: mobility, accuracy, and affordability. These products include bench, handheld, and modular devices such as basic power supplies, benchtop, and handheld digital multimeters, handheld oscilloscopes, USB data acquisition devices, Agilent VEE software, and connectivity gateways.
The industry has taken note: The Agilent U1600A series of oscilloscopes was voted Product of the Year by readers of Elektronik magazine, and the Agilent U1250A series of digital multimeters was named an EDN magazine Hot 100 Product and analogZONE's Best Value Portable Test Equipment.