Bourns takes leap with purchase of Japanese firm

Electronic components maker Bourns, which has a base in Mahon in Cork, has bought Japanese firm Komatsulite Manufacturing in the largest acquisition in the company’s history.

Komatsulite, which is headquartered in Osaka, is a leader in the field of safety devices for rechargeable lithium-ion batteries. It has four plants in Japan and one in China generating $100m in annual revenue

The devices enable the speedy recharging of the batteries, which are used in an range of electronic devices. They also protect against overheating while charging, a long-time problem for lithium-ion power cells.

Commenting on the deal, the terms of which were not disclosed, chairman and CEO Gordon Bourns described the move as the “the largest acquisition in our 67-year history.”

Mr Bourns said the deal will be worth “well over half a billion dollars in terms of annual revenue” and that the company was on track for one of the top three years in its history.

Bourns Electronics president Erik Meijer said the acquisition was a huge development for the company

“New component technology introductions in the safety device arena are rare, and we are very excited about adding Komatsulite’s mini-breaker products to our broad range of protection technologies,” he said.