KYOCERA to Acquire Japan-Based Showa Optronics Co., Ltd. to Strengthen Optical Components Business

Acquisition aims to maximize synergy through combined technologies

KYOTO, Japan--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Kyocera Corporation (President: Hideo Tanimoto; hereunder: Kyocera) today announced that it entered into a share transfer agreement with NEC Corporation (President: Takashi Niino; hereunder: NEC) on March 25, 2020 to acquire all of NEC’s shares in Showa Optronics Co., Ltd., an optical components manufacturer (President: Minoru Hijikawa; hereunder: SOC). After the share transfer is completed, Kyocera will own 93.53% of SOC’s shares; SOC will begin operating as a subsidiary of Kyocera on June 1, 2020, under the name Kyocera Showa Optronics Co., Ltd. (KSO).

●Background Information and Objectives
With its highly advanced manufacturing technologies, Kyocera's optical components business has engaged in producing diversified lenses in small to large diameters from a wide variety of materials. The products have been used in various fields, including automotive, office and factory automation equipment, and medical equipment, since Kyocera entered this business in 1983.

In 2016, Kyocera expanded this business by acquiring Japan-based Melles Griot KK, a manufacturer of large-diameter and high-precision lenses for factory automation equipment. The company is expanding its production capabilities to meet rising demand.

SOC, established in 1954, has targeted high-value-added markets including space-related products, semiconductor manufacturing equipment (such as exposure equipment), and medical equipment for DNA analysis, using its core technologies of ultra-high-precision lens polishing, high-proof and low-loss film formation, and lasers with outstanding stability.

In acquiring SOC as a subsidiary, Kyocera aims to become a leading optical components company by expanding its new product offerings in the laser market, maximizing synergies through both companies’ combined technologies, and utilizing Kyocera’s worldwide sales network and production facilities to further expand its optical components businesses.

●Outline of SOC
Company Name	Kyocera Showa Optronics Co., Ltd.
Representative	Minoru Hijikawa, President
Establishment	1954 (Established as Showa Optical Co., Ltd.)
Location	Head Office: Setagaya-ku, Tokyo Yokohama Office: Midori-ku, Yokohama City, Kanagawa Prefecture
Capital stock	50 million yen
Number of Employees	Approximately 230

For more information and Product Images of SOC, please visit:
https://global.kyocera.com/news/2020/0304_ddop.html

About KYOCERA
Kyocera Corporation (TOKYO:6971) (https://global.kyocera.com/), the parent and global headquarters of the Kyocera Group, was founded in 1959 as a producer of fine ceramics (also known as “advanced ceramics”). By combining these engineered materials with metals and integrating them with other technologies, Kyocera has become a leading supplier of semiconductor packages, industrial and automotive components, electronic devices, solar power generating systems, printers, copiers and mobile phones. During the year ended March 31, 2019, the company’s consolidated net sales totaled 1.62 trillion yen (approx. USD14.6 billion). Kyocera appears on the “Derwent Top 100 Global Innovators 2018-19” list by Clarivate Analytics and is ranked #655 on Forbes magazine’s 2019 “Global 2000” list of the world’s largest publicly traded companies.