L-GAM enters into exclusive negotiations for the acquisition of a majority stake in Amplitude Laser Group
L-GAM has entered into exclusive negotiations with Cathay Capital Private Equity, Mérieux Equity Partners, Bpifrance, and Auriga Partners for the acquisition of a majority stake in Amplitude Laser Group, a leading global manufacturer of ultrafast lasers for scientific, medical and industrial applications based in France.
The official signing of the final documentation will occur after the consultation of the employees’ representatives of Amplitude Laser Group, and the sale will be subject to clearance from the German antitrust authority.
Amplitude Laser Group is today the only international specialist to cover all ultrafast laser technologies and their applications. Amplitude Laser Group provides an expertise that is uniquely global, innovative and reliable, thanks to its close to 350 employees over 3 continents and a diversity of scientific, medical and industrial clients in over 40 countries.
Since Cathay Capital, Bpifrance, Mérieux Equity Partners and Auriga Partners joined in 2012 as majority investors along with the management, Amplitude Laser Group has transformed itself into a global leader with a truly international footprint. With the backing of its shareholders, Amplitude Laser Group successfully expanded abroad through the opening of subsidiaries in Japan, Korea, and more recently in China, as well as in the United States with the acquisition of Continuum Lasers in 2014.
During this period, Amplitude Laser Group also deeply diversified its end markets by pioneering the use of ultrafast lasers in high growth industries such as semiconductor, advanced micromachining and particularly display where it managed to establish a significant partnership with major manufacturers. The undisputed scientific and technical skills of the group also allowed it to be involved in most of the major laser research infrastructure projects, such as the Extreme Light Infrastructure in Europe, initiated by Gérard Mourou, 2018 Nobel Prize in Physics. All these efforts contributed to the strong growth of Amplitude Laser Group, with revenues more than tripling over the period to reach more than 70 million euros by March 2019.
Eric Mottay, CEO of Amplitude Laser Group, said: “Amplitude has grown from a laser specialist to a global leader in the field of ultrafast lasers and applications. Our expansion in the US and South Korea, our partnerships with major display and semiconductor manufacturers, as well as the rapid expansion of our China operations leave us in a very strong position for the future. We are excited about upcoming partnership with L-GAM to enter a new development phase for the company.”
Yves Alexandre and Jerome Bertrand, Partners at L-GAM, declared: “We are delighted to support Amplitude in its new development phase. We have been particularly impressed by the company positioning as a French technological pioneer in a high growth market driven by the penetration of ultrafast lasers in new applications, and by the team’s vision and dynamism. We are committed to contribute to the international development of Amplitude and the consolidation of its position as the leader and key innovator in the ultrafast market.”
About Amplitude Laser Group
Amplitude Laser Group is the global leader in ultrafast lasers for scientific, medical and industrial applications. To its scientific customers, Amplitude offers ultra-high power, PetaWatt class ultrafast lasers for fundamental physics, as well as medical research in the field of radiography and cancer treatment by protontherapy. Amplitude also provides industrial ultrafast lasers for ophthalmology, semi-conductor and microelectronics, medical device manufacturing, among other industrial and medical applications. With a global presence over three continents, a strong culture of customer support, and a decade of experience in the design of ultrafast lasers, Amplitude Laser Group offers unparalleled performance and reliability no matter what the application.
For more information, please visit us www.amplitude-laser.com/
About L-GAM
L-GAM (www.l-gam.com) is a long-term oriented investment company with capital commitments in excess of € 1 billion. L-GAM was established in 2013 with the backing of the Liechtenstein Princely Family and several families from Europe, Asia and the USA. Its unique and differentiated business model is based on a long-term, industrial-like investment focus and a flexible mandate to provide investment solutions throughout the capital structure. L-GAM focuses on partnering with small and medium sized companies across Europe. L-GAM has already invested in Jardiland (France), Faist ChemTec (Germany), Roberto Cavalli (Italy), Grupo BC (Spain), AltéAd (France), Cyber Group Studios (France) and Woolrich (Italy and US).