Two-Year Supply Agreement Totals $66.7 Million
SAN JOSE, Calif., Dec. 4 /PRNewswire/ -- SDL, Inc. (Nasdaq: SDLI) has
entered into an agreement with IPG Photonics Corporation of Sturbridge,
Massachusetts to provide high volumes of multimode pump lasers for an array of
cladding-pumped fiber product offerings by IPG. Under the terms of the
agreement, SDL will supply IPG Photonics with substantial quantities of
multimode pump lasers through December 31, 2002. Revenues from this agreement
are expected to total $66.7 million over the period.
SDL's multimode pump lasers borrow from the technology used in the
company's leading 980 nm singlemode laser diodes designed for terrestrial and
undersea telecommunications systems. Multimode pump lasers utilize a broad
emitting aperture to allow operation at power levels as high as several watts,
and are used as cooled or uncooled optical pump sources for active,
cladding-pumped fibers. SDL's new 6380 multimode pump laser represents
state-of-the-art technology, offering twice the power from the same aperture
size as previous product designs, without sacrificing reliability. Extensive
life testing of this device validates this claim. These and other SDL
multimode pump lasers will be employed in IPG Photonics' industrial fiber
lasers, Raman fiber lasers, and various optical amplifier products used in
fiber optic communication systems, terrestrial wireless optical networks and
free space communications. These will also be used in IPG Photonics' new
generation of low-cost metro amplifiers for use in the emerging metro access
networks.
"We chose SDL pump lasers due to their superior performance and
reliability, and the company's engineering support and ability to deliver our
requirements in time," commented Dr. Valentin Gapontsev, Chairman and CEO of
IPG Photonics. "We look forward to our association with SDL over the coming
years."
Julian Osinski, SDL Product Manager, adds, "The success of our multimode
laser products demonstrates our ability to leverage our core high power laser
technology in diverse ways, and is a solid complement to SDL's singlemode pump
laser products. Our multimode product line broadens our customer base in the
communications field to new entrants such as IPG. We expect IPG to experience
significant growth as it focuses on new fiber optic and fiber laser markets,
and believe that we are well positioned to meet their needs in both
performance and delivery."
Statements in this press release which are not historical including
statements regarding SDL's or management's intentions, hopes, beliefs,
expectations, representations, projections, plans or predictions of the future
are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities
Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such statements include statements regarding
the terms of and the revenue anticipated from the supply agreement with IPG
Photonics, the company's leading position in 980 nm laser technology, the
company's belief that its new 6380 multimode pump laser represents the
state-of-the-art in this technology in respect to power and reliability, the
superior power levels and performance of SDL's pump lasers, SDL's ability to
leverage its core high power laser technology in diverse ways allowing the
company to broaden its customer base in the communications field, SDL's
expectations that IPG will experience significant growth in the fiber optic
and fiber laser markets, and the company's ability to meet IPG Photonics'
increasing demand for pump lasers. It is important to note that the company's
actual results could differ materially from those in any such-forward looking
statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially
include risks related to the company's inability to manufacture quantities to
successfully meet IPG Photonics' order for pumps, the company's inability to
meet the power and performance specification levels required by IPG Photonics,
decreases or cancellations in IPG Photonics order levels, alternative
technologies, competitive products and the risk factors listed from time to
time in the company's SEC reports including, but not limited to, the annual
report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 1999, and Form 10-Q for
the quarters ended March 31, June 30, and September 30, 2000.
About SDL
SDL's products power the transmission of data, voice and Internet
information over fiber optic networks to meet the needs of telecommunications,
DWDM, cable television and satellite communications applications. They enable
customers to meet the bandwidth needs of increasing Internet, data, video and
voice traffic by expanding their fiber optic communications networks much more
quickly and efficiently than would be possible using conventional electronic
and optical technologies. SDL's optical products also serve a variety of
non-communications applications, including materials processing and printing.
Additional information on SDL, Inc. is available on the Internet at
http://www.sdli.com .
About IPG Photonics
IPG's fiber-based amplifiers, lasers, transmitters and associated products
are specially designed and customized to meet the requirements of leading
communications and technology companies throughout the world. Its main
product groups include a wide range of erbium, ytterbium, thulium and
praseodymium doped amplifiers and Raman pump lasers for telecom applications,
high power fiber lasers for marking, pointing, micro-machining and other
material processing applications, various fiber laser transmitters for free
space applications, and fiber amplifiers and lasers for research, test
instruments and biomedical applications.
IPG Photonics commenced operation in the United States in December 1998
and as a member of the IPG Group (formerly IRE-Polus Group). The IPG Group
includes IPG Photonics, subsidiaries in Germany and Italy and an affiliated
company in Russia.
You are urged to read the joint proxy statement-prospectus included in JDS
Uniphase Corporation's Registration Statement on Form S-4 in connection with
the merger of JDS Uniphase and SDL, Inc. filed with the SEC because the proxy
statement-prospectus and the Registration Statement on Form S-4 contain
important information. You can get copies of the joint proxy
statement-prospectus and the Registration Statement on Form S-4 and any other
relevant documents, for free at the SEC's web site, and copies of reports,
proxy statement and other information regarding JDS Uniphase or SDL filed with
the SEC are available free from the companies. Requests for documents
relating to SDL should be directed to SDL, Inc., 80 Rose Orchard Way,
San Jose, California 95134, Attention: Investor Relations, Telephone
408-943-4343. Requests for documents relating to JDS Uniphase should be
directed to JDS Uniphase Corporation, 210 Baypointe Parkway, San Jose,
California 95134, Attention: Investor Relations, Telephone 408-434-1800.
SOURCE SDL, Inc.
 back to top
Related links:
http://www.sdli.com
CONTACT:
Donald R. Scifres, Chairman and CEO, or
Michael L. Foster, VP Finance and CFO, both of SDL, Inc.,
408-943-9411, or general-investors, Lisa Chainey, or media, Dawn
Swidorski, both of The Financial Relations Board, 415-986-1591
|
