Date: May 09, 2013 Author: Tristan Navera Source: bizjournals (
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A local company is in the process of a merger it says will help it expand into new markets and add jobs in the process.
Dayton-based company 3 Degrees of Separation, a consulting and development company that helps clients design sensor technology for gas chromatography, will merge with French company Analytical Pixels Technology, or APIX Technologies, its c-ofounder said.
The merger will allow enough growth that the business will add 12 employees over the next year to its Second Street office, in addition to at least one summer internship.
Joshua Whiting, co-founder and managing partner of research and development at 3 Degrees of Separation, said the merger will help the company grow, as well as expand into new markets. Financial details of the merger were not disclosed.
"There's a real need in the petrochemical industry for both natural gas and refiner applications for small instrumentation," Whiting said.
Founded in 2010, 3 Degrees of Separation currently has three employees, including one in California. When the merger is completed by the end of the second quarter, it will change its name to APIX US.
The company specializes in sensor technology that can go directly into the refinery or gas stream on a pipe and conduct analysis of the petroleum or natural gas inside, rather than having to take samples from the stream to a separate location or laboratory for analysis.
There has been strong demand in natural gas and refinery industries domestically. Whiting said he expects to grow the business to include security and biomedical applications.
"It's an outstanding opportunity. APIX really brings in capability for doing some micro-fabrication development work as far as manufacturing and assembly," he said.
Grenoble, France-based APIX, which manufactures nano-sensors for gas chromatography, is under 50 percent ownership by French citizens, and 50 percent by American citizens. Currently, Whiting and his business partners own 13 percent of APIX, and APIX owns 30 percent of their company.
