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28 March, 2024

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Teledyne buys Rockwell Scientific for $167m

01 July, 2006

The defence electronics giant Teledyne Technologies is buying Rockwell Scientific Corporation (RSC) - the research and development organisation owned jointly by Rockwell Automation and Rockwell Collins - for $167.5m in cash.

California-based RSC offers r&d services in three main markets - electronics, materials technology and information services - as well as developing and manufacturing specialised optical sensors and associated systems, mainly for military applications. The company employs more than 400 people and generated an income of $114m in the year to September 2005, with more than half its r&d revenue coming from the US Government.

Under the deal, Teledyne has agreed to licence some of Rockwell Scientific`s intellectual property to its former owners. One area of potential interest to Rockwell Automation is RSC`s expertise in advanced power semiconductor devices, such as silicon carbide (SiC), and their applications.

Silicon carbide devices can operate at high temperatures and high switching speeds, and with low conduction and switching losses. Many experts regard them as representing the next generation of power semiconductors. They will allow the development of more efficient power converters which are up to 60% smaller and lighter than designs based on current silicon semiconductor technology.

RSC has demonstrated the world`s first SiC-based motor drive, with an efficiency of 99.4%. The company has also worked on matrix converter drive designs using silicon semiconductors.

Rockwell Automation and Rockwell Collins say that RSC has "more common technological and market interests" with Teledyne and that this will allow it to "realise enhanced value and growth".

"Rockwell Scientific possesses advanced technology related to multiple Teledyne operations, and will become a core business," adds Teledyne president, Robert Mehrabian.




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