CMOSIS acquires AWAIBA

CMOSIS and AWAIBA are focusing on the high-growth segments of the image sensor market. Machine vision, production cameras, traffic enforcement, medical devices and prosumer products are such segments. According to IC Insights these will account for about $3.3bn in 2017. In the meantime CMOS technology continues to gain market share over charge-coupled device (CCD) technology.

In the acquisition, Baker & McKenzie served as legal advisor to CMOSIS, while Vision Ventures acted as advisor to AWAIBA shareholders.

“The acquisition of AWAIBA is a natural fit for CMOSIS. It strengthens our presence in existing markets and expands our activities in adjacent segments with complementary image sensor products. It also strengthens our relationship with our existing customer base,” stated Luc De Mey, Chairman and CEO, CMOSIS.

“The acquisition became possible after TA Associates stepped in as a strong financial partner of CMOSIS earlier this year. This enabled horizontal expansion and growth acceleration," Mr. De Mey continued. "AWAIBA is a profitable and well-established brand with an attractive and strongly growing client base. We are very excited to welcome their experienced team having an impressive track record of innovation and deep understanding of customer needs. This permits us to even better serve our customers as an independent and pure-play supplier of CMOS image sensors.”

“AWAIBA and CMOSIS are joining forces. This allows AWAIBA to secure the financial, human and technological resources for the development of next-generation line-scan and sub-millimetre sized image sensors,” commented Martin Waeny, Founder and CEO, AWAIBA. “The newly combined entity will take a much stronger position as a leading supplier of high-quality CMOS image sensors in the consolidating markets of advanced image sensors.”