Lamina Lighting Incorporated was founded (as Lamina Ceramics) in 2001 as a spin-off from the Sarnoff Corporation. Its light engines and multi-chip LED arrays are based on Low-Temperature Co-fired Ceramic on Metal (LTCC-M) thermal management technology.
Headquartered in Westampton, New Jersey, Lamina is funded by five premier technology venture funds. The company has received at least $44.5 million in its financing rounds, including $7 million in April 2007 and $9 million in June 2005.
Investors are not receiving a great return; LSG has paid Lamina $4.5 million in cash, and may also make “earn-out” payments to Lamina of up to $10.5 million in the second quarter of 2010, based on 2009 sales of Lamina products and components.
Lamina's year-to-date revenues for the first six months of 2008 were approximately $2.1 million.
LSG merged with LED Holdings, the owner of LED Effects, in October 2007, and acquired Lighting Partner in April 2008. LSG is involved in a patent dispute with the former Color Kinetics, now part of Philips, although Lamina signed a licensing agreement with Color Kinetics in January 2007.
Related to the closing of the acquisition of the assets of Lamina, LSG also announced today that it has entered into an agreement with Bank of Montreal to obtain a $20 million demand line of credit, of which $4.5 million will fund the acquisition of Lamina. The balance of the BMO demand line of credit, along with LSG's current assets, will remain available for financing of working capital and other corporate purposes.
“Today’s acquisition further strengthens our product portfolio and gives us access to an integrated platform of products with an established global supply chain,” said Govi Rao, chairman and CEO of LSG. “The combination of LSG and Lamina provides significant opportunities to leverage complementary product platforms and market segments, and offers international cross-selling opportunities.
"The acquisition of Lamina strengthens our current OEM relationships, and enables us to broaden our range of light engines and module offerings with fully-integrated solutions coupled with extensive technical knowledge,"
“Our integration with LSG gives Lamina immediate access to a global distribution network,” added Frank Shinneman, president and CEO Lamina. “With the combined and expanded portfolio, the company will be well positioned to provide total lighting solutions for strategic customers across the globe. We are excited about the synergies enabled by this acquisition especially the opportunities this provides to our OEM partnerships.”
