Leica Geosystems Expands Headquarters for the Americas and strengthens Geospatial Imaging through acquisition of Terramatics Systems Inc.
Heerbrugg, Switzerland, July 5, 2005 – Leica Geosystems (SWX: LGSN), the world leader in spatial information technologies, expands its North American headquarters in metropolitan Atlanta. At the same time, Leica Geosystems announces the acquisition of Terramatics Inc., active in the inertial positioning industry. The acquisition further strengthens the expertise of Leica Geosystems’ Geospatial Imaging division.
Leica Geosystems will occupy a 100,000 square foot facility at Technology Park in Norcross, Georgia, USA. Functioning as the Leica Geosystems regional headquarters for the Americas, each of its divisions will be represented, with a special focus on Geospatial Imaging and Surveying & Engineering.
This move will enable Leica Geosystems to further leverage the resources of its operational units and drive its effectiveness in the market. The Atlanta location offers a state-of-the-art demonstration room, enabling the company to showcase all of its technologies and divisions under one roof.
"Leica Geosystems has a strong position in the US and is market leader in spatial information technologies," said Hans Hess, CEO of Leica Geosystems. "Now, we further expand our local presence, supported by a dedicated team that knows the Americas market and its customers very well."
At the same time Leica Geosystems announces it has acquired from Terramatics Systems Inc., Canada (Terramatics) the Intellectual Property relating to inertial positioning (IP) technology and has taken over the key development staff. No financial details were disclosed.
Terramatics has a proven track record of developing customized GPS Inertial Navigation Systems (INS) that cover specialized terrestrial, marine and airborne applications. The IP acquired from Terramatics will enhance the core expertise of Leica Geosystems. The technology is immediately applicable to many Leica Geosystems sensor systems that are used in airborne geospatial data acquisition.
"INS coupled with GPS are widely used and are well proven in our airborne sensors," added Eugen Voit, Corporate Technology Officer of Leica Geosystems. "Integrating Terramatics’ GPS/INS IP into our technology portfolio allows us comprehensive market coverage in the area of high accuracy systems."
Terramatics, located in Calgary, was founded in 1999. Leica Geosystems will maintain an office in Calgary, serving as the Inertial Solutions Group within Leica Geosystems’ Geospatial Imaging Division.
Leica Geosystems – a portrait
With close to 200 years of pioneering solutions to measure the world, Leica Geosystems products and services are trusted by professionals worldwide to help them capture, analyse, and present spatial information. Leica Geosystems is best known for its broad array of products that capture accurately, model quickly, analyse easily, and visualise and present spatial information in 3D. Those who use Leica products every day trust them for their dependability, the value they deliver, and the superior customer support. Based in Heerbrugg, Switzerland, Leica Geosystems is a global company with tens of thousands of customers supported by more than 2,400 employees in 21 countries and hundreds of partners located in more than 120 countries around the world. Leica Geosystems is a publicly listed company, registered with the Swiss Stock Exchange (SWX).
