British photonic instruments maker and light-measurement equipment distributor Pro-Lite Technology Ltd. announced today it has acquired German company SphereOptics GmbH of Uhldingen, effective April 1. The purchase price was not disclosed. Pro-Lite and SphereOptics both concentrate on the lighting, LED, display and automotive markets with innovative photometric, spectroradiometric and goniophotometric test equipment for luminaires, solid-state lighting, lamps, displays and LEDs. Established in 2002, Pro-Lite specializes in instruments for measuring light and the optical properties of materials, lasers and related equipment, optomechanics and positioning equipment, and optics and optical materials. The company distributes the light- measurement products of Labsphere, Radiant Imaging, Ocean Optics and Konica Minolta in the UK and Ireland. SphereOptics, founded in 2003, specializes in light-measurement, near-infrared spectroscopic and hyperspectral instruments as well as in diffuse reflectance materials. It distributes the products of Labsphere, Radiant Imaging, ASD and Headwall Photonics. SphereOptics GmbH was originally the German sister of American company SphereOptics LLC. SphereOptics LLC was acquired by US-based Labsphere in 2010. The result is that SphereOptics GmbH distributes the integrating sphere and light- measurement products of the combined Labsphere/SphereOptics. Christina Boehme of SphereOptics will continue to serve as general manager and minority shareholder under Pro-Lite, the company said. "The acquisition of SphereOptics presents an exciting opportunity to bring Pro-Lite's technical leadership in light measurement to the German and Eastern European markets," said Pro-Lite Director Robert Yeo. "There are strong synergies between our two companies which we will exploit to better serve our customers working with LEDs, displays and lighting." Pro-Lite made significant investments in the LED and solid-state lighting markets in 2010, doubling the size of its facility at the Cranfield University Innovation Centre and investing more than €115,000 ($160,000) in a photometric test and demonstration laboratory. Pro-Lite also provides a photometer rental service for measuring the brightness and color of displays and light sources such as lamps, luminaires, LEDs, etc., and these services will now be available to SphereOptics' customers. For more information, visit: www.pro-lite.co.uk