nLight, a Vancouver manufacturer of high-power semiconductor lasers, announced on Aug. 21 it has acquired the assets of Flextronics Photonics, a Hillsboro, Ore., competitor that was owned by Flextronics International Ltd., based in Singapore. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Flextronics Photonics employs 40 people in Hillsboro, increasing nLight's total workforce to 170. Some Hillsboro workers will be moved to Vancouver and some Vancouver workers will transfer to Hillsboro, the Vancouver-based Columbian newspaper reported Saturday. “This acquisition reinforces our position as a leading supplier of high-power semiconductor laser solutions,” nLight President and CEO Scott Keeney said in a press release. “It positions us well to provide integrated solutions that will enable new applications in a broad range of industries.” nLight makes lasers and other devices for industrial, defense, medical, telecommunications and printing applications. Its products can be found in aircraft guidance systems and can be used to defend against heat-seeking missiles. “The integration of new high-reliability products with our existing high-power and high-brightness diodes will enable new capabilities in a variety of applications and market segments,” said Jake Bell, nLight Defense Group vice president. “In particular, the combination of these technologies in our ITAR-compliant manufacturing facilities will serve the DoD community well for applications including illumination, laser communications, laser-initiated ordnance and laser-based measurement systems.” The move will add an array of new fiber-coupled and hybrid microelectronic products that will complement nLight’s current products. The acquisition of new core competencies will be combined with nLight’s semiconductor laser technology to expand nLight’s product portfolio, the company said. The Columbian quoted Keeney as saying that negotiations began after the Flextronics corporate strategy "started to differ from what they were doing in Hillsboro" and the company became open to selling its Pacific Northwest subsidiary. nLight, which was founded in 2000, began to focus on military applications for its fiber optic technology when fiber optic telecommunications markets declined. It won $6 million in defense funding in 2003, attracted $12 million in private investments in 2004 and last year continued to pursue research for the defense industry. In July, nLight received a $6 million federal defense contract to develop and demonstrate military laser systems at new wavelengths. The goal: to replace existing systems that put people's vision at risk -- including weapons systems, laser lighting and target designation lasers. For more information, visit: www.nlight.net