Xyratex Expands Product Portfolio

HAVANT, England, July 26. Xyratex Ltd, a leading provider of enterprise class data storage subsystems and storage process technology, announced today that it has expanded its product portfolio to include Hard Disk Drive (HDD) recording head slider and head gimbal assembly automation and metrology equipment. This expanded product portfolio coincided with the recent acquisition of the assets, as well as the development teams based in Valencia, California and Singapore, of OSC (Optical Systems Corporation and Optical Systems Corporation - Asia ). OSC is a respected 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 recent acquisition of OSC will combine Xyratex's industry-leading expertise in high volume disk drive test, servo writing, and media cleaning, handling and inspection technologies with OSC's extensive experience in complex head process automation, metrology and inspection.

"We are delighted to have the OSC 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. Our acquisition of OSC is an element of this strategy."

OSC has invested significantly to develop its leading-edge product range. This investment, together with the high level of technical skills and commitment of its people, has made OSC a clear leader in its chosen marketplace. "Today's announcement gives us the opportunity to expand our activities within the storage market," added Tom Echsner, president of OSC. "We believe moving forward with Xyratex will allow us to fully leverage our marketing and technology strategies."