BOC to acquire turbomolecular pump business from Seiko Instruments Inc.
WINDLESHAM, UK — The BOC Group announced today that it has signed a letter of intent with Seiko Instruments Inc. (SII) to purchase SII’s turbomolecular pump business on behalf of its BOC Edwards line of business, the leading supplier of vacuum pumps to the semiconductor industry.
The purchase price is yet to be finalized, but the total deal value is expected to be approximately £70m. The acquisition remains subject to various conditions and regulatory approvals. Management would expect the acquisition to be broadly neutral to BOC Group earnings in current market conditions and increased sales volume would be expected to lead to enhanced earnings. Turbo pump development and production, together with employees, would remain at the Narashino factory in Chiba Prefecture in Japan.
BOC Edwards has an 18-year association with SII and is currently the sole pump distributor for Europe, the USA and Korea. ‘We are already very familiar with SII’s products, which complement our existing vacuum portfolio,’ said Brian Emslie, Semiconductor Business Development Director, BOC Edwards. ‘We would have the opportunity to streamline operations, from supply chain management right through to service and support, and improve the customer offering. We would provide customers with a single source of expertise for all their vacuum requirements - on, near or remote from the semiconductor process tool – and in future all pumps would share a common control and e-diagnostics system.’
SII’s turbo pumps are used on the tool to evacuate process chambers in semiconductor etch, HDP-CVD and ion implant applications. With rotational speeds up to 48,000 rpm, they can achieve high vacuum and throughput up to 3,000 litres per second. The pumps use magnetic bearings, which levitate the high-speed rotor blades and eliminate all contact with the stator. This results in minimal noise and vibration, no bearing wear and consequently low cost of ownership. Mean service intervals can be as long as ten years.
‘Vacuum will continue to be critical to next generation semiconductor manufacturing processes,’ said Dr. ‘Raj’ Rajagopal, Chief Executive, BOC Edwards, ‘and we intend to remain the leader in this market. This acquisition would allow us to draw upon both SII’s renowned turbo technology and our own proprietary vacuum technologies.’
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