Thomson is selling the Thomson Grass Valley digital film transfer equipment business to private investors led by Parter Capital Group, a German private equity advisory firm.
The sale includes the Spirit film-scanning family, together with the Bones digital intermediate workflow tools and LUTher, a color space management product. Financial terms of the sale were not released.
"This is a very positive move for Thomson and for the digital film transfer equipment business," said Jeff Rosica, senior vice president of Broadcast and Professional Solutions at Thomson. "It enables us to better focus our efforts to bring to all markets—including the very important post production sector—innovative products and solutions that deliver creativity and efficiency. And at the same time, Parter Capital Group, with its experienced and dedicated management team, will focus its attention on the digital film transfer equipment business with renewed vigor."
"We are making this investment because we know these products are valued and respected in the market, and that they have a strong future ahead of them," said Rüdiger Terhorst of Parter. "In particular, we know that the development teams are highly regarded within the industry, and we want to assure the market that we will be keeping those teams together to continue their impressive work. The ongoing development of uncompromised digital film scanning tools such as the Spirit line is extremely important, and we are committed to keeping these products at the leading edge of technological advancement."
The deal is expected to close in late October 2008. The concern will be spun off into a new international company with operational headquarters in Germany.
The 100th second-generation Spirit system has just been delivered, adding to the 250-plus Spirit classic systems now in use, Thomson said.
A temporary forum site has been established at www.thomsongrassvalley.com/forum for customers and others seeking information about this transaction and/or service and support questions.
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