Barco sells business unit food sorting and inspection technology to BEST n.v.
Kortrijk, August 1, 2003. Barco has announced the sale of the Machine Vision Business Unit, a part of the BarcoVision division, to BEST (Belgian Electronic Sorting Technology) of Heverlee, Belgium. This transaction fits totally within the Barco strategic vision of concentrating on the markets in the field of image processing in which it can establish itself as world leader.
With total annual sales in 2002 of nearly 17 million euros, Machine Vision did not have sufficient size to occupy a leading position at the world level. The transaction with BEST has created a company that will be capable of playing a leading role at the world level. In the first half of 2003, Machine Vision had sales of roughly 8.5 million euros, with a positive result that nevertheless was clearly below the group average.After this transaction, Barco will continue to sell the CottonSorter. The CottonSorter is a system for detecting contamination in raw cotton. Barco and BEST will further develop this system together.
This transaction with BEST includes the Machine Vision sites in Aarschot, Belgium and in Eindhoven, Holland. A total of some eighty employees are involved, the great majority of whom are located in Belgium and Holland, and a few in the USA. The transaction has a marginally positive effect on the Barco consolidated result.
About Barco
Barco, an international company headquartered in Kortrijk, Belgium, is active in three key areas of imaging technology. Barco designs and develops solutions for large screen visualization, display solutions for life-critical applications, and systems for visual inspection. Barco has a network of subsidiaries, distributors and agents in almost 100 countries. Barco is quoted on Brussels/Euronext and is a BEL 20 and a Next 150 company.
See also press release by BEST nv on www.bestnv.com
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