Mass. photonics firm acquires JPSA

J.P. Sercel Associates Inc., a privately owned Manchester-based maker of industrial laser micromachining systems, has been acquired by IPG Photonics Corp., a publicly traded company based in Oxford, Mass.IPG, a manufacturer of high-power fiber lasers and amplifiers, said in a release that the acquisition of JPSA will allow it to expand its reach into the fine-processing market. Financial terms of the acquisition were not disclosed. JPSA will operate under the name IPG Microsystems LLC.Jeffrey Sercel — the founder, CEO and chief technology officer of JPSA — has twice been recognized as the New Hampshire High Technology Council’s Entrepreneur of the Year, most recently in 2011 for his work with JPSA.He was previously recognized in 1994 for his work with Resonetics Inc., an excimer laser micromachining company in Nashua that he also founded.Sercel also founded JPSA in 1994. The company, which he began as a small consulting firm, is a leading global supplier of ultraviolet excimer and diode-pumped solid-state industrial laser micromachining systems for precision processing in high-volume manufacturing. Its systems are used in various applications, from biomedical technology and microfluidics to LEDs and solar panels.In a 2010 interview with NHBR, JPSA’s then-president said the firm had 70 employees, including an international network of sales representatives around the world who provide customer support to its global clients.What effect, if any, the acquisition will have on the staffing at JPSA’s Hackett Hill Road site was not announced. A call to Sercel was unreturned before deadline.According to Dr. Valentin Gapontsev, CEO of IPG Photonics, “the combination of JPSA’s specialized laser systems and the UV and short-pulse fiber lasers that IPG is developing now should allow us to deepen our penetration of the $800 million fine-processing market.”IPG expects JPSA will add approximately $4 million to its revenues through the remainder of 2012, said the release.In the release, Sercel said that while the company will “continue to sell our UV and excimer laser systems as well as systems which use DPSS lasers, we strongly believe there are significant growth opportunities using advanced fiber lasers to displace traditional laser sources in high-growth applications.”He said that the acquisition means “we will be able to sell into new applications, expand geographically and accelerate into markets where there are needs for advanced fiber laser technology.” – KATHLEEN CALLAHAN/NEW HAMPSHIRE BUSINESS REVIEW