Xyratex Acquires Assets of Magnetic Recording Solutions

Xyratex Ltd has acquired the HDD component test related business and assets of Magnetic Recording Solutions, Inc. (MRS), including a 10 person development team. This acquisition expands Storage Infrastructure’s portfolio in support of its growth and strategy.

The acquisition immediately adds media burnish, glide and certify products to the Xyratex portfolio, and also adds expertise and technology related to media and head test systems and software. This expanded product portfolio coincides with the recent acquisition of the assets, as well as the development team, of Optical Systems Corporation (OSC). OSC is a provider of automated production technology to the disk drive industry.

A key element of Xyratex’s business strategy is to expand its portfolio of test and process technology within the disk drive industry. The acquisition of MRS will combine Xyratex’s expertise in high volume disk drive test, servo writing, and media cleaning, handling and inspection technologies with MRS’ experience in complex media testing and head characterization.

"We are delighted to have the MRS team join our current business group," said Harold Lehon, executive vice president of the Storage Infrastructure business at Xyratex. "We are executing our growth and investment strategy within the Storage Infrastructure business, with a focus on broadening our customer base in our traditional product segments. In addition, we are aiming to penetrate into the areas of disk drive heads, media and substrate; expanding our product portfolio in the factories of HDD and component manufacturers. The acquisition of MRS and OSC is a key element of this strategy."

"Today’s announcement gives us the opportunity to expand our activities within the storage market," added Vlad Pogrebinsky, president of MRS. "We believe moving forward with Xyratex will allow us to fully leverage our marketing and technology strategies."