BYK Strengthens Measurement, Testing Portfolio With Strategic Acquisition

BYK-Gardner USA, a subsidiary of the specialty chemicals group ALTANA, is acquiring perisens GmbH. Based in Feldkirchen near Munich, the company develops and manufactures measurement and testing equipment for automotive radar sensors and radar covers, known as radomes.

These measurement and testing systems are used in quality assurance for painted plastic automotive components in vehicles equipped with radar sensors for autonomous driving. This ensures that the paint systems used do not attenuate the radar signals too much and do not impair the radar’s function.

Through this acquisition, ALTANA’s BYK division is strategically expanding its business in measurement and testing instruments and broadening its product portfolio to include innovative technologies in the field of radar measurement. perisens, founded in 2009 as a spin-off from the Technical University of Munich, will be integrated into BYK-Gardner, headquartered in Geretsried, Bavaria.

With the Radom Measurement Systems of the RMS-C and RMS-D product series, perisens offers solutions for radar radomes ranging from development through quality control in series production. These RMS systems have been in use worldwide since 2014 by leading automakers, radar sensor suppliers, and suppliers of plastic components, as well as paint and pigment manufacturers.

perisens’ patented technology can be used in both laboratory measuring instruments and measuring cells on robot-controlled production lines. perisens’ products enable precise process control of coated plastic automotive components made from plastics.

As part of the acquisition, the employees working for perisens will be transferred to BYK.

“perisens’ radar measurement instruments are a perfect complement to BYK-Gardner’s innovative color and gloss measurement instruments,” explains Dr. Jörg Hinnerwisch, Division President of BYK. “This is state-of-the-art technology with excellent prospects for the future.” Dr. Jörg Krames, Managing Director of BYK-Gardner, adds: “True to our motto, ‘Measure the visible and beyond,’ the integration of this new measurement technology allows us to offer our existing customers in the automotive and coatings industries another milestone in our product portfolio, as radar measurement will be indispensable for autonomous driving in the future.”

Dr. Florian Pfeiffer, Managing Partner of perisens, says: “The integration of perisens into BYK-Gardner will enable us to further develop our existing testing and measurement instruments even faster, increase brand awareness, and consistently drive innovation forward.”

For more information, visit www.byk-instruments.com.