Atlas Material Testing Technology LLC Announces Acquisition of SDL International Ltd.
Atlas Material Testing Technology LLC has entered into an agreement to acquire SDL International Ltd.- a U.K. based testing instrument supplier recognized as the most complete global supplier of textile testing instruments.
Shirley Development Limited (SDL) was founded in 1951 by the Shirley Institute to commercialize inventions from the Institute. Prior to 1920, the Institute was named the British Cotton Industry Research Association. In 1984, Russell Crompton and Steven Combes purchased SDL from the Institute. SDL sales of approximately $10 million are currently comprised of 50% as a manufacturer and 50% as a distributor of other manufacturers' instruments.
Atlas, founded in 1919 in Chicago, has its roots in the textile industry. Atlas Textile Test Products are best known for their lightfastness testing instruments: the Atlas Fade-Ometer and Xenotest® 150 S+. Other mainstays in this line are the AATCC Launder-Ometer and AATCC Crockmeter, which test the colorfastness of a fabric. A recent acquisition of Raitech, developer of the Quickwash, has increased Atlas' resources for textile testing product innovation.
The union will provide textile manufacturers with a single source for instrumentation to meet all of their global testing requirements. SDL, Atlas Textile Test Products, Raitech and Textile Innovators will form the newly created SDL Atlas LLC, which will be headed by Charles S. Lane. The restructuring will strengthen Atlas' focus in both textile testing instruments and its core weathering test instruments and services, known as the Network of Weathering.
"We have brought together Atlas, with its leadership in lightfastness and colorfastness, and SDL, with its expansive product offering, to form a company that will provide the textile industry with a single source for their textile testing solutions. SDL Atlas is clearly the largest, most complete, global source of textile testing equipment," said Chuck Lane.
SDL customers will benefit from this expanded offering of products and services in addition to an increased global customer service network. The new entity will also provide growth opportunities for both organizations and their people.
The effective date of the acquisition is May 15, 2003.
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