ATLAS MATERIAL TESTING TECHNOLOGY LLC ANNOUNCES ACQUISITION OF SDL INTERNATIONAL LTD.

Atlas Material Testing Technology LLC has entered into an agreement to acquire SDL International Ltd.- a U.K. based testing instrument supplier recognized as the most complete global supplier of textile testing instruments.

Chicago, IL and Stockport, England (PRWEB) August 22, 2003 -- Atlas Material Testing Technology LLC has entered into an agreement to acquire SDL International Ltd.- a U.K. based testing instrument supplier recognized as the most complete global supplier of textile testing instruments.

Shirley Development Limited (SDL) was founded in 1951 by the Shirley Institute to commercialize inventions from the Institute. Prior to 1920, the Institute was named the British Cotton Industry Research Association. In 1984, Russell Crompton and Steven Combes purchased SDL from the Institute.

They will continue as part of the management team in their roles as President of SDL America and Managing Director of SDL International, respectively. SDL sales of approximately $10 million are currently comprised of 50% as a manufacturer and 50% as a distributor of other manufacturers¡¦ instruments.

Atlas, founded in 1919 in Chicago, has its roots in the textile industry. Atlas Textile Test Products are best known for their lightfastness testing instruments: the Atlas Fade-Ometer„¥ and Xenotest 150 S+. Other mainstays in this line are the AATCC Launder-Ometer„¥ and AATCC Crockmeter, which test the colorfastness of a fabric. A recent acquisition of Raitech, developer of the Quickwash„¥, has increased Atlas¡¦ resources for textile testing product innovation.

The union will provide textile manufacturers with a single source for instrumentation to meet all of their global testing requirements. SDL, Atlas Textile Test Products, Raitech and Textile Innovators will form the newly created SDL Testing Solutions LLC, which will be headed by Charles S. Lane. The restructuring will strengthen Atlas¡¦ focus in both textile testing instruments and its core weathering test instruments and services, known as the Network of Weathering.

¡§We have brought together Atlas, with its leadership in lightfastness and colorfastness, and SDL, with its expansive product offering, to form a company that will provide the textile industry with a single source for their textile testing solutions. SDL Atlas is clearly the largest, most complete, global source of textile testing equipment,¡¨ said Chuck Lane.      

Steve Combes commented, "Mergers with such obvious strategic benefits for both the participators and their customers come along very rarely. This new grouping creates major new opportunities in the market for quality testing instruments.¡¨

SDL customers will benefit from this expanded offering of products and services in addition to an increased global customer service network. The new entity will also provide growth opportunities for both organizations and their people.

The effective date of the acquisition is May 15, 2003.    

Atlas is a recognized leader in quality control and quality assurance testing, offering a complete line of material testing instrumentation, including weathering instruments, textile test products and analytical instruments. For accelerated laboratory and outdoor testing, Atlas Weathering Services Group offers 5 laboratories and 23 outdoor sites around the world with a variety of climates, including desert, subtropical, high-altitude and corrosive.

Atlas Weathering Services Group is ISO 17025 (A2LA) accredited. Atlas products are designed and manufactured to conform to international, national and industry standard test methods including ISO, ASTM, DIN, JIS and numerous others. Atlas Material Testing Technology LLC is ISO 9002 registered.

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