Date: Sep 30, 2014 Author: Matthew Daneman Source: democratandchronicle.com (
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"Sydor Instruments LLC" is gone.
That was the name of a Chili maker of incredibly high-speed camera systems. Sydor's recent acquisition of a British company that makes ballistics test equipment has meant big changes for the local company --roughly doubling its revenues, more than doubling its workforce, along with a new name, Sydor Technologies.
Sydor announced in August it had acquired SABRE Ballistics for an undisclosed sum. That move cemented ties between the two companies that also saw them sign an agreement in April that had Sydor being SABRE's sole sales partner in the United States.
The SABRE deal was Sydor's first acquisition in its 10-year history. "There are a number of opportunities to do this again as the industry consolidates and contracts," said Michael Pavia, president.
Sydor started in 2004 with the license to patented imaging technology developed at the University of Rochester's Laboratory for Laser Energetics. Pavia co-founded it with business partner Jim Sydor, owner of Chili optics maker Sydor Optics. And then-Sydor Instrument's customer base was primarily governmental energy agencies, such as the Department of Energy, and the aerospace industry.
The company first used its imaging technology for ballistics testing in 2011. It was then that the firm saw an opportunity to expand beyond imagery and into measuring, for example, penetration depths and the yaw of a bullet using SABRE equipment. SABRE has a line of 60-plus products for ballistics testing and measuring, pretty much everything "except the imaging part," Pavia said.
"Both the owners were nearing retirement and said, 'We think it would be good for you to buy our company,' " Pavia said of the purchase.
SABRE owners David Balfour and Martyn Eccles will stay on for 18 months or so while Sydor finds a new UK manager to run operations there, with a bigger focus on growth. All SABRE staff have remained, "and the idea is to grow it," Pavia said.
For Sydor, the move gets it more heavily into the global markets where SABRE already operates. Owning both companies opens opportunities to upselling each other's technology to existing customers, Pavia said.
Sydor employs 10; SABRE 15.
And while SABRE's operations are five time zones away, "All the communications technology makes (running a remote operation) easier than you'd think," Pavia said.
The SABRE acquisition also could mean some growth in Chili, as some products made by SABRE might also be made in Chili, at least for the U.S. or North American markets.
