German HBM acquires spin-off FiberSensing

The German company Hottinger Baldwin Messtechnik GmbH (HBM), a world reference in testing and measurement equipment, has acquired FiberSensing – Sistemas Avançados de Monitorização S.A., an INESC TEC spin-off. According to the CEO and co-founder of FiberSensing, Luís Ferreira, this is “a fantastic opportunity for us to expand the use of optical fibre monitoring technology at an unprecedented level”.

José Manuel Mendonça, President of INESC TEC, reveals that “the effort to economically value the scientific work conducted for over a decade, which resulted in FiberSensing, has been extremely successful.” FiberSensing was founded in 2004 as a technological spin-off of the Institute for Systems and Computer Engineering of Porto – INESC Porto –, and funded by Portugal Ventures and INESC Porto.

According to José Epifânio da Franca, Chairman of Portugal Ventures’ Board of Directors and FiberSensing’s main shareholder, the integration with HBM “will allow the company to reveal its potential through HBM’s global presence and its affiliates.” “This acquisition is a sign that a global multinational trusts Portugal’s engineering skills and innovative talent. We believe that this will make Portugal an international investment centre for technology-based start-ups”, he concludes.

FiberSensing will be called HBM FiberSensing SA and will work as a centre of excellence for HBM’s global optics business. According to the General Director of HBM, Andreas Hüllhorst, “acquiring FiberSensing is part of HBM’s strategy of combining key technologies that benefit our client portfolio. This will allow, at the same time, HBM’s Sales and Marketing team to approach new market segments.” The General Director also adds that “FiberSensing’s range of sensors and interrogators, combined with its know-how in optics, are the perfect combination for HBM’s testing and measurement applications, especially in the areas of high deformation, electromagnetic interference and aggressive environments.”

Located in Maia, FiberSensing is a world leader in measurement and monitoring systems based on optical fibre Bragg sensors for critical physical assets.

The INESC TEC researchers mentioned in this article are associated with the following partner institutions: FEUP.