Daily News Briefs

Axsys Technologies Inc., a Rocky Hill, Conn.-based supplier of optical solutions for high-tech applications, received a $4.4 million order to produce dual field-of-view infrared imaging lenses for an advanced US Army armored vehicle. The lenses will enable vehicle operators to carry out all-weather missions, day or night. The order specifies product delivery over the next 12 months. . . . Boston Circuits Inc. (BCI) of Burlington, Mass., a fabless semiconductor company, named Makoto Umemura as Asia Pacific managing director for Boston Circuits Asia, based in Yokoama, Japan. In his new position, the company said, Umemura will establish a direct, long-term presence for Boston Circuits in Asia based on relationships cultivated through his 13 years of experience in the semiconductor industry. Prior to joining BCI, Umemura launched Japanese operations for US-based NetSilicon, specializing in ARM-based processors and software for embedded networking. . . . NanoString Technologies Inc. of Seattle, a developer of nanotechnology-based platforms for high-speed, highly multiplexed, single-molecule identification and digital quantification, named John Sowatsky as vice president of product development. Sowatsky has over 15 years of experience in engineering and product development, most recently at Affymetrix, a semiconductor technology company based in Santa Clara, Calif., where he served as vice president of its system business unit.