ficonTEC GmbH announced it has acquired Newport Corp.'s automated fiber alignment and laser welding product lines.Terms of the agreement were not disclosed. ficonTEC said the transfer of the products is currently underway and that it is already taking orders for AA-MODAL alignment and LW4000S laser welding systems. It will also handle all after-sales and service activities for about 400 installed systems worldwide. The company said said the acquired lines will complement its products and complete its fiber optic packaging process chain. ficonTEC provides automated test, inspection, assembly and pick-and-place systems for the photonics and semiconductor industries. "Over time, the systems will be adapted and made compatible with the look and feel of the ficonTEC systems and software," it said in a statement. Larry Parson, vice president of Newport's Integrated Solutions Business Group, said, "The criteria we used to identify candidate companies to take on the product lines in question looked more like criteria used in selecting a partner rather than a buyer. Some of the more important criteria for judging candidates include technical competency, breath of technology, commitment to customer service and a corporate culture that supports continuous product improvement. ficonTEC uniquely met our criteria, and we are very pleased that we were able to reach a mutually acceptable agreement with them." For more information, visit: www.ficonTEC.com