JUNE 1--phoenix|x-ray Systems + Services Inc. (Camarillo, CA) has published its latest business-activity report. Established in early 1999, the manufacturer of high-resolution x-ray inspection systems has shown strong growth and performance for the fifth year in a row. With sales exceeding $21 million worldwide and a solid profit in 2003, the company is now a market leader for microfocus and nanofocusT x-ray systems, tubes and inspection services and in 2004 brought in the best-ever purchase order volume for a first quarter.
The US division reported record sales in 2003 and continued with a good start in the first months of 2004. Referring to this successful performance, Helmut Appelt, general manager and spokesperson of the phoenix|x-ray Systems + Services group of companies, stated, "Our target for the coming months is to further expand activities in the North American market. We are going to strengthen the company's presence in key industrial markets and will put more focus on serving the growing need for nondestructive testing of mechanical and micromechanical devices."
A first step will be the establishment of a new office in the USA to expand the existing sales network. The new structure will be based on sales divisions for the East and West Coast, each overseeing sales, service and applications departments. The East Coast office will be managed by the newly appointed vice president Boris Mathiszik, who brings more than eight years experience in automatic optical inspection and electronics to phoenix|x-ray. In charge of the West Coast sales division will be vice president David Lehmann, who has been with the company for more than four years. Bob Maziuk is going to be sales manager for the key nondestructive-testing market (nonelectronics).
Part of the product diversification strategy will be the establishment of a joint venture between phoenix|x-ray and SIEMENS AG (Munich, Germany) in mid-2004. The two partners are going to set up a new enterprise for the development and distribution of highly resolving industrial computed-tomography systems. Capitalizing on the extensive expertise of SIEMENS in reconstruction algorithms for medical computed tomography and phoenix|x-ray´s experience in building x-ray tubes and systems, this joint venture will offer high-tech x-ray systems for fast and reliable 3-D inspection.
phoenix|x-ray also announced plans to build a second production facility at the German headquarters. Construction of the 100,000-square feet facility is slated to begin in the second half of 2004. One of the expected benefits is that the growing number of customized, mostly oversized systems, will be easier to manufacture once the new facility becomes available.
phoenix|x-ray Systems + Services Inc. is the North American sales, service, and applications engineering subsidiary of the Germany-based microfocus x-ray system manufacturer, phoenix|x-ray Systems + Services GmbH. This group of companies offers both sealed tube and open tube microfocus/nanofocus x-ray systems dedicated to PCB assembly, Back-end and multilayer inspection applications. As an open-tube design and manufacturing house, phoenix|x-ray holds technology leadership for ultra-high resolution and magnification.
For more information on phoenix|x-ray Systems + Services Inc. or its products, go to www.phoenix-xray.com.