History 2000: Tandberg Jilts Breece Hill

The acquisition of US library maker Breece Hill Technologies by Tandberg Data of Oslo, Norway, seemed all but sealed.

The price tag of $6 million was settled, shareholders of Global Maintech, Breece Hill’s parent company, had approved the transaction on April 5.

The compatibility of the 2 companies was obvious. At the most recent CeBIT in Hanover, we even saw representatives of Breece Hill at Tandberg’s display, discussing future joint projects. Tandberg’s subsidiary in USA was to have managed the new business unit.

And then barn! out of the blue, at a shareholders meeting held May 3, the board of directors were resoundingly defeated by the gathered shareholders, although the acquisition was the only board proposal not to pass. Breece Hill is once again for sale.

The firm recently laid off a dozen employees, according to local paper The Daily Camera.

This article is an abstract of news published on issue 148 on May 2000 from the former paper version of Computer Data Storage Newsletter.

Notes:

• Maxoptix acquires Breece Hill in February 2001.
• Overland Storage bought Tandberg Data in 2013.