Morpho Detection purchases Syagen Technology
Morpho Detection recently inked a deal to purchase Syagen Technology, Inc., a firm that specializes in chemical analysis instruments; Syagen’s technology and existing contracts will help bolster Morpho’s position as the industry leader in explosives and narcotics detection; Syagen’s detectors are currently used by airports across the United States to screen passengers and air cargo for explosives; the purchase is still pending approval from the federal government as well as Syagen shareholders
Morpho Detection recently inked a deal to purchase Syagen Technology, Inc., a firm that specializes in chemical analysis instruments.
Syagen’s technology and existing contracts will help bolster Morpho’s position as the industry leader in explosives and narcotics detection.
“Syagen’s unique mass spectrometry technology combined with Morpho Detection’s patented Ion Trap Mobility Spectrometry trace detection will help deliver the solutions customers need for detecting emerging, non-conventional explosives threats,” said Dennis Cooke, the president and CEO of Morpho Detection, Inc.
Syagen’s detectors are currently used by airports across the United States to screen passengers and air cargo for explosives.
In 2010 after terrorists successfully placed bombs aboard cargo planes headed for the United States, Syagen was awarded a $2.5 million DHS contract to help airports better screen their cargo. In addition Syagen also provides airport body scanners that are reported to be more effective than the current full-body scanners in use at airports.
The U.S. Army is also considering installing Syagen’s technology on reconnaissance vehicles to help troops detect the presence of chemical and biological weapons.
Cooke said that Morpho Detection plans to operate Syagen as a mass spectrometry technical center of excellence, developing its next generation of explosives and narcotics trace detection systems for public, private and government customers around the world.
Jack Syage, the founder of Syagen, said, the sale was “a deliberate move. Our financials are good, we’re getting major contracts. The timing is based on giving us a catapult” to growth.
According to Syage, the deal had been under development for eight months.
The terms of the deal specify that Syagen will remain in its current location in Tustin, California, and Syage will continue to run the company for two to three years.
The purchase is still pending approval from the federal government as well as Syagen shareholders.
Morpho Detection is a subsidiary of French defense and aerospace conglomerate Safran.
