Konica Minolta Acquires Instrument Systems GmbH, Major Lighting Measurement Equipment Manufacturer in Germany

Tokyo (December 3, 2012) - Konica Minolta Optics, Inc. (KMOP) today announced that it has acquired Instrument Systems GmbH (IS), a major German lighting measurement equipment manufacturer.

As a business company of the Konica Minolta Group, KMOP manufactures and sells optical products and measuring instruments for industrial and healthcare applications.

In April 2012, the Konica Minolta Group reorganized its optical businesses with the aim of transformation from suppliers of parts and components to limited industrial sectors such as digital consumer electronics and personal computers into a group of business units focusing on markets with future growth potentials. That shift intends to help KMOP become a more solid business organization with stable, higher profitability.

Over the years the industrial sensing division of KMOP has established itself as leading manufacturer in display and light source color measurement and provided high-quality products, including Display Color Analyzer CA-310, the de-facto standard instrument in the white-balance measurement, as well as a series of illuminance meters.

IS has globally earned high reputation as provider of light measurement instruments such as spectrometers, imaging photometers and colorimeters. Especially in the lighting industry, including LEDs, IS has been leading the sector with competitive edges in technology and sales. The premium LED test and measurement solutions range from QC and laboratory applications to fast LED production testing.
In recent years, IS has increased its market share in the high-performance, top-of-the-line segment of the display measurement field.

The acquisition provides KMOP an even broader product line in the display measurement field where the company has the top share and further assists in maintaining its leading position in comprehensive light source measurement including not only the fast-growing LED light source but also organic light emitting diode (OLED) lighting with great future growth potentials. In addition, the Konica Minolta Group expects to create greater synergies between the light source measurement business and the equipment and component business for the next-generation lighting, including OLED. This acquisition aligns, therefore, precisely with the Group's growth strategies.

IS now operates as a consolidated subsidiary of KMOP and maintains its development, production and sales functions in Munich and Berlin, Germany. IS also continues to use its product brand after the acquisition.

Going forward, Konica Minolta will strive to deliver innovative solutions and services that fulfill diverse needs of the customers, under the Communication Message “Giving Shape to Ideas,” and further increase corporate value of the entire Group.