The acquisition of Ascension Technology Corporation by Roper Industries, Inc, announced recently by Northern Digital Inc. (NDI), gives the Vermont-based company access to new resources that will help grow its markets and better serve customers, Ascension officials say. Terms of the deal were not released.
Ascension is operating as a division of NDI. The company plans to stay in Vermont and continue to manufacture its magnetic sensors, but will be working in partnership with NDI, a Waterloo, Ontario-based Roper subsidiary. NDI is a provider of optical and electromagnetic measurement systems for medical and industrial applications.
‘We are still in a small town setting and are committed to Vermont, but now have focused resources to help expand our target markets,’said Jack Scully, managing director of Ascension. He co-founded Ascension with Ernie Blood in 1986.
Ascension and NDI both make sensors that are used in minimally invasive surgical procedures. The sensors precisely track medical instruments, both outside and inside a patient’s body. In conjunction with imaging equipment and visualization software, sensors allow surgeons to navigate instruments in 3D without the use of radiation.
‘NDI is a world leader in 3D measurement technology, and an ideal partner for Ascension,’Scully said. ‘By joining forces, we can continually introduce new, innovative products to the market, where they will ultimately benefit clinicians and patients.’
The market for minimally invasive surgical devices is expected to continue to grow as more and more procedures are performed without the need for open surgical incisions, Scully said. ‘Today, about 10 percent of procedures in the industrial world are minimally invasive,’he said. ‘Within a decade, 90 percent will be minimally invasive. Our microminiaturized sensors are a key enabling technology in making this happen.’In addition to growing new markets, Ascension will continue to work in the interventional radiology and ultrasound markets, Scully said. Major medical device companies currently using Ascension sensors include GE Healthcare, Toshiba, Hitachi and Siemens.
‘The Ascension products are world class and both the Ascension and NDI teams are passionate about the same things - providing spatial tracking solutions to create and facilitate the next generation of medical procedures,’said Dave Rath, president of NDI, in announcing the acquisition in late July.
‘By augmenting NDI's electromagnetic product offerings with the Ascension line of products and combining our two highly skilled and specialized teams together, we will now have the leaders in electromagnetic tracking working together to innovate and provide the best solutions in 3D electromagnetic tracking,’Rath said.
About Roper Industries
Roper Industries is a $2.7 billion diversified growth company and is a constituent of the S&P 500, Fortune 1000, and the Russell 1000 indices. Roper provides engineered products and solutions for global niche markets, including water, energy, transportation, medical, education and SaaS-based information networks. Additional information about Roper is available on the company's website atwww.roperind.com.
About NDI
Established over 30 years ago, NDI (www.ndigital.com) is trusted by international leaders in medicine, industry and research for the accuracy and reliability of its measurement technology. NDI systems are used in applications from computer-assisted surgery to aeronautics; from quality inspection to human motion research. Today, the company is a world leader in advanced 3D measurement technology, with over 19,000 installations in more than 30 countries around the world.
About Ascension
Ascension Technology Corporation (www.ascension-tech.com) manufactures magnetic and optical trackers for image-guided procedures, simulation, and real-time visualization applications. Its miniaturized magnetic sensors are key enabling technology for ultrasound-guided interventions ranging from image fusion and volumetric measurement to biopsy and ablation. Founded in 1986, Ascension is located in Milton, Vt.
Burlington, VT (August 28, 2012) ‘Ascension Technology
Ascension Technology of Milton acquired by Roper Industries
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