Optical components maker Gooch & Housego plc has extended its capabilities in infrared optics and coatings by acquiring Scotland-based precision optical components manufacturer Spanoptic Ltd., the company announced last week. The purchase price was not disclosed. Founded in 1976, Spanoptic employs more than 60 people as one of the largest independent precision optical manufacturers in the UK. It specializes in spherical and aspheric lenses and diffractive optics in the ultraviolet, visible and infrared wavelengths for applications in aerospace, security, defense, machine vision and health care. This sector is highly complementary to its predominantly planar optics business, Gooch & Housego (G&H) said, and enhances its ability to provide complete subsystems. Spanoptic's infrared optics and coatings will also help G&H's activities in the aerospace and defense markets, the company said. "The acquisition of Spanoptic strengthens Gooch & Housego's core precision optics manufacturing capabilities and provides a sound foundation for developing our subsystems business," said G&H CEO Gareth Jones. Spanoptic has invested heavily in state-of-the-art optical manufacturing in recent years, as well as in metrology and thin-film coating equipment, G&H said. Those investments have enabled Spanoptic to produce quality optical components at a competitive price. That competitive advantage is enhanced by the strategic alliance that it has with a Far Eastern manufacturer of precision optics, optomechanics and instrumentation, an alliance that will continue under G&H ownership, the company said. For more information, visit: www.goochandhousego.com