iXblue, a high-tech company in the field of navigation, photonics and space and maritime autonomy, announced the acquisition of Kylia (dedicated to optical components and instruments) and Muquans (integrated quantum instruments).
Kylia, founded in 2003 and located in Pessac, in the New Aquitaine region of France, and in Paris, develops and manufactures optical components and instruments based on ultra-precise mounting technology. The products sold by Kylia are used by industrial manufacturers in the fiber optic telecommunications, metrology and space sectors.
Founded in 2011 and based in Talence, also in the New Aquitaine region, Muquans specializes in high-performance instrumentation and is the first company in the world to exploit laser cooling quantum manipulation techniques on an industrial scale.
Founded in 2000, iXblue employs around 750 people, including 350 engineers and doctors, with a turnover of 150 million euros, 80% of which is generated internationally. It has 9 industrial plants in France and its headquarters are in Saint-Germain -en-Laye. The photonics branch of iXblue is dedicated to the fields of space, sensors and metrology, geosciences, fiber lasers and intense lasers, communications and quantum technologies.
Kylia and Muquans join iXblue’s traditional activities in photonics: Modulation Solutions at the Besançon headquarters, Specialized Optical Fibers at the Lannion headquarters and Inertial Space Systems at the Saint-Germain -en Laye headquarters .
The new entity will further strengthen the strategic axis of photonics with more than 160 people spread over 4 industrial centers in France, generating a business volume of more than € 35 million in instruments, lasers and advanced photonic components, the statement said.
Fabien Napolitano , CEO of iXblue: “This merger is the concrete manifestation of iXblue’s strategy to position itself more strongly in the photonics market and become one of its main players. The merger of iXblue with Kylia and Muquans will allow obtaining new synergies thanks to the extraordinary variety of technologies that will form the core of our offering in this field. It also enables iXblue to be active in the New Aquitaine region, at the heart of a rich ecosystem around lasers and optics.
Ludovic Fulop , CEO of Kylia: “This merger is a unique opportunity for Kylia’s international development. It is the result of a common history and a journey in which teams come together to collaborate in a complementary, active and fruitful way, especially in the space market. “.
Bruno Desruelle, CEO of Muquans: “We have discovered that there are countless bridges between the world of photonics, iXblue fiber optic inertial systems and Muquans gravimeters, laser sources and atomic clocks. This union is one of the results of the iXblue is present at the Institut d’Optique d’Aquitaine. Logically, the proximity to this center for more than five years has been an opportunity to share a common vision on the potential of quantum sensors with cold atoms for the most advanced metrology . “
iXblue is a global high-tech company specializing in the design and manufacture of high-tech equipment in the fields of navigation, photonics, and space and maritime autonomy. The group employs more than 750 people around the world and is present in more than 60 countries.
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