INDUSTRY NEWS

EXPANSIONS AND ACQUISITIONS

Veeco, Digital to merge

Process tool supplier Veeco Instruments has signed an agreement to purchase Digital Instruments, a manufacturer of scanning probe and atomic force microscopes. Veeco says the transaction will be completed during the second quarter of 1998, following shareholder and government approval. Under the terms of the agreement, Digital's shareholders will receive approximately 5.6 million shares of Veeco common stock. Santa Barbara, CA—based Digital is privately held. The company reported revenues of $51 million in 1997. The merger will extend Veeco's line of process metrology equipment. Headquartered in Plainview, NY, Veeco also manufactures etch and deposition tools.

Varian plans $25M expansion

Varian Associates will increase the size of its semiconductor equipment plant in Gloucester, MA, by 30% as part of a $25-million expansion. The addition to the facility, which manufactures ion implantation equipment, will enable Varian to develop more advanced systems. The company will add ultraclean manufacturing and testing areas as well as office space. Engineering studies for the expansion will be completed over an 18-month period, the vendor says. Varian plans to hire additional staff after completion of the project and forecasts a 50% increase in the workforce at the site by 2002.

ATMI to buy NOW

ATMI, a vendor of thin-film materials and delivery equipment, plans to acquire NOW Technologies in a transaction valued at approximately $44 million. NOW would become a subsidiary of ATMI under the terms of the agreement in which ATMI would offer between 1.35 and 1.86 million shares of common stock to NOW's shareholders. Based in Bloomington, MN, NOW manufactures packaging systems for photoresist and other process materials. The vendor reported 1997 revenues of approximately $15 million. Headquartered in Danbury, CT, ATMI has a product line that includes scrubbers and related environmental equipment sold by EcoSys, among other divisions.

Chemical plants coming

A major supplier of process chemicals announced tentative plans to build several manufacturing and purification plants around the world. Koch Specialty Chemical of Wichita, KS, says the first one will begin production by December 1. The supplier has not disclosed the location of the plant, which will manufacture isopropyl alcohol, hydrofluoric acid, hydrochloric acid, and ammonium hydroxide. Purity levels for the chemicals will be in the range of 1 ppb to 1 ppt. The facility will eventually produce hydrogen peroxide and large-volume process chemicals. Koch is a major producer of ultrapure sulfuric acid. The company also says it will open a technical center in Houston this June. The facility will offer quality control services for Koch's manufacturing sites and provide customer assistance.

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