AsiaNet 89602

SAINT-GERMAIN-EN-LAYE, France, May 20, 2021, /PRNewswire=KYODO JBN/--

iXblue, a high-tech company in the fields of navigation, photonics and space,

and maritime autonomy, announces the acquisition of Kylia (optical components

and instruments) and Muquans (integrated quantum instruments).

Kylia, founded in 2003 and located in Pessac in the New Aquitaine region of

France and in Paris, develops and manufactures optical components and

instruments based on ultra-precise assembly technology. The products marketed

by Kylia are used by industrial manufacturers in the fields of fiber-optic

telecommunications, metrology and space.

Muquans, founded in 2011 and based in Talence, also in the New Aquitaine

region, specialises in very high performance instrumentation and is the first

company in the world to exploit laser-cooled quantum manipulation techniques on

an industrial scale. It offers a complete range of solutions based on this

breakthrough technology, including a quantum gravimeter, an atomic clock,

frequency transfer systems over fiber, and very high performance laser systems.

Founded in 2000, iXblue employs around 750 people, including 350 engineers and

doctors,  with a turnover of Euros 150 million, 80% of which is generated

internationally. It has 9 industrial sites in France and its headquarters are

in Saint-Germain-en-Laye. The photonics branch within iXblue is designed to

address the space, sensors and metrology, geosciences, fiber lasers and intense

lasers, communications and quantum technologies markets.

Within iXblue, Kylia and Muquans join iXblue's historical activities in

photonics: Modulation Solutions at the Besançon site, Specialty Optical Fibers

at the Lannion site and inertial space systems at the Saint-Germain-en-Laye

site. The new entity will further strengthen the photonics strategic axis with

more than 160 people spread over 4 industrial sites in France, generating a

turnover of more than 35 million Euros in instruments, lasers and advanced

photonics components.  

Fabien Napolitano, CEO of iXblue, said: "This merger is a concrete expression

of iXblue's strategy to position itself even more strongly in the photonics

market and to become a major player. The combination of iXblue with Kylia and

Muquans will enable new synergies to arise from the extraordinary variety of

technologies that will be at the core of our offering in this field. It also

allows iXblue to be active in the New Aquitaine region, at the heart of a rich

ecosystem around lasers and optics.

Ludovic Fulop, CEO of Kylia, said: "This merger is a unique opportunity for

Kylia to accelerate its international development. It is the result of a common

history and a journey during which the teams have crossed paths to develop

complementary, active and fruitful collaborations, particularly in the space

market."

Bruno Desruelle, CEO of Muquans confirms: "We have discovered that there are

countless bridges between the world of photonics, iXblue's fiber-optic inertial

systems and Muquans' gravimeters, laser sources and atomic clocks. This union

is one of the results of iXblue's presence at the Institut d'Optique

d'Aquitaine. This proximity on this site for more than five years has been, in

a logical way, the opportunity to share a common vision of the potential of

cold atom quantum sensors for ultimate metrology."

Press Contact

Gwenaelle Allaire

+33 (0)1 30 08 88 88

gwenaelle.allaire@ixblue.com

About iXblue

iXblue is a global high-tech company specializing in the design and

manufacturing of high technology equipment in the fields of navigation,

photonics and space, and maritime autonomy. iXblue's photonics activities

include the design and manufacturing of specialty fibers, Bragg gratings,

broadband electro-optical modulators and their control electronics, microwave

amplifiers and turnkey modulation solutions for a variety of applications:

optical communications, fiber lasers and amplifiers, fiber sensors, space and

science. The group employs over 750 people worldwide and operates in more than

60 countries. www.ixblue.com

"Photonics refers to the sciences and techniques that generate, emit, detect,

collect, transmit, modulate, amplify or modify the flow of photons, i.e. light.

Photonics is therefore the technology that enables all industrial applications

of light, such as lighting, laser machining, fiber optic telecommunications and

many others."

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1513988/iXblue_Kylia.jpg  

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1513989/iXblue_Muquans.jpg  

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1513987/iXblue_Logo.jpg

SOURCE: iXblue