Europe-based cabling company Hexatronic Group AB says it has agreed to acquire The Light Brigade Inc., the U.S.-based fiber-optic training provider, from AFL. Financial terms of the deal, which is expected to close August 1, 2020, were not disclosed.
Hexatronic says the buy will enhance its reach into the U.S. and complement its existing product offerings. However, the company says the acquisition will not have a significant effect on revenue or earnings.
“We are very pleased to welcome Light Brigade to Hexatronic Group. The company will enable Hexatronic to complement our strong FTTH system offering with training in the important U.S. market that is our second largest market. The acquisition will strengthen our position in North America where we see large growth potential for our solutions. The acquisition further enhances Hexatronic Group’s business area training, where we now can offer training in Sweden, Norway, the UK, and the U.S.,” comments Henrik Larsson Lyon, CEO of Hexatronic Group.
Light Brigade, headquartered in Kent, WA, was founded in 1990 by Larry Johnson. The company supplies fiber-optic training for a variety of applications and has partnered with several organizations to help bring fiber-optic education to their members (see, for example, "The Light Brigade, FTTH Council Americas join on CFHP online training" and "Light Brigade, USTelecom pair for network engineering and outside plant training"). AFL acquired Light Brigade in 2008 (see “AFL Telecommunications acquires The Light Brigade”).
“AFL believes that the alignment between Hexatronic and Light Brigade is an excellent fit for the business to move forward and prosper. Hexatronic has a strong fiber-optic training business in Europe, and The Light Brigade is the number one fiber-optic training business in North America. Combining these two businesses enables a synergistic power that will be unmatched in the industry,” says Steve Althoff, president of AFL IG.
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