Dutch-Based C-Corp and US-Based Symcon Acquire French-Based Plasmon MT

The Dutch-based company C-CORB B.V. and the US-based company SYMCON INC. announce the acquisition of French-based PLASMON MT as a new subsidiary.

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The latest terms and conditions will be disclosed in due time.

The acquisition makes C-CORB B.V. & SYMCON GROUP the forerunner in
the optical media market, enhancing both company’s future growth and
performance.

Being already a large mastering consumables supplier worldwide (SYMCON
GROUP) this new acquisition will improve the business growth to all
their existing and new customers.

With a financial injection by C-CORB B.V.’s financial partner Deutsche Bank AG, the future of stamper production will be secured for the years to come.

"We have always been able to make the best quality recordable stamper
in the world, but lack of financing and market knowledge has stopped
PLASMON from growing," said Pascal Andre, R&D manager, PLASMON.

The new first class production facility for recordable stampers will become operational as of September 2nd 2013. With a daily capacity of nearly 400 stampers it will be the largest independent stamper production plant in the world. The new production facility will be setup outside France, but a small operation will still continue in France under the name PLASMON.

"It is a new era for SYMCON taking over production ourselves," says COO Frank Kind. "But
with the know-how we acquired by taking over PLASMON MT we foresee a
bright future for our company. The focus will not only be on Stamper
Production but also on existing projects in Micro Fluids and new 3D
plating applications. The joint venture with C-CORB B.V. also opens
doors for us in other markets."

Due to the worldwide presence of offices in South America, North
America, Europe and Asia by this joint venture and acquisition, the
activities of PLASMON MT can be continued with a more direct customer
relationship and stronger focus on customer service and R&D.

Comments

At the beginning, there was Jean Ledieu who started in 1985 a company called Digipress in Caen, France. Being a pioneer in the field of CD (and later also DVD), the highlight of Digipress was Century Master (glass master) then Century Disc for archiving.

Digipress CEO Jean Ledieu
presenting Glass Master
ledieu_plasmon_01

(Foto Francis Pelletier)

This latest product, protected by many patents, was aimed at archiving due to its longevity, over 100 years.

The company was acquired by Toolex and then by UK firm Plasmon Data whose assets in UDO - but not Plasmon MT - were acquired in 2009 by US firm Alliance Storage Technologies. The French activity in Caen was later sold to an Italian company and finally to Mimeos before the most recent acquisition by Dutch-based C-Corp and US-based Symcon.

Plasmon MT now designs special forms or patterns in the sub-micron area (from 200nm up) with glass mastering and etching. Its core business is the supply of stampers for the production facilities for recordable discs like CD-R and DVD-R recordable stampers in different speeds, both generic and customized.

"Plasmon MT belongs to the same holding as Mimeos BV in The Netherlands, specialized in pre-recorded stampers for the optical disc industry. The shareholders Lou Wullms and Jan Zuring have appointed Massimo DiGiorgio as president of Plasmon and Patrice Floch as technical manager," you can read on the French company's web site not updated after the acquisition. "In 2012 the commercial production of the chocolate forms will be realized, adding about 50% to the existing turn-over by the end of 2012, with further growth in 2013. Also the realisation of the first paid R&D projects for microfluidics is expected in the first half of 2012, with a serious test project in the second half. Growth potential for Plasmon is between €0.5 million and €2.0 million per year, starting in 2013."

Ten employees are supposed to work at Plasmon MT, another information published on the company's web site. But last June, the French firm filed for bankruptcy - redressement judiciaire in French, equivalent of Chapter XI in USA, and all the staff was fired.

According to a guru and a veteran of the worldwide optical disc industry, Plasmon MT owns old production machines, consequently needs fresh money, and, in this kind of highly specialized activity, needs also to have highly specialized engineers. Furthermore, it seems that all the conditions included in the press release were not realized at this time.