Company - PI (Physik Instrumente) L.P.

Physik Instrumente (PI) Acquires P·G·W, Japanese Granite Base Machining Company

The new acquisition will provide granite plates with high flatness and system integration capabilities for PI’s nanopositioning solutions used by leaders in the semiconductor, life sciences, photonics, and industrial automation markets.

Karlsruhe, Germany – Physik Instrumente’s 100% acquisition of P·G·W Precision Granite W Co. Ltd was completed on February 25, 2021 and is a major step forward in the company’s expansion plan of a PI Design Center in Asia. This builds upon last years’ growth when PI opened a production plant in Changzhou, China.

Future Business Success

Granite has a unique thermal and vibration-damping properties and is employed in many of PI’s multi-axis air bearing and gantry systems. P·G·W’s highly accurate competencies with machined granite base plates fit perfectly with PI’s corporate strategy of establishing a global network of PI Design Centers. Assembly of complete precision motion control systems at P·G·W is also planned for the future.

"With P·G·W, we are completing the system approach for our entire portfolio and strengthen our commitment to the growth markets in Asia," emphasizes Markus Spanner, CEO of Physik Instrumente. PI and P·G·W have maintained business relations for many years and the transfer of the company was part of Hayata Watanabe’s succession plan.  "Our offerings fit perfectly, which is the key factor for future business success," affirms P·G·W owner, Hayata Watanabe. P·G·W’s existing management team will be integrated into the new management structure.

Granite based motion systems and integrated granite motion systems provide significant precision advantages in applications such as semiconductor manufacturing, laser machining and optical metrology.