ALA: ULIS announces significant increase in its R&D spending for 2017 to reach €15M ($16.8M). The company generated €61.5M ($69.3M) in sales in 2016, a rise of nearly 30% compared to 2015. The new level of R&D investment will represent 20% of its annual sales. Previously, the company pledged 10% of its annual revenue to R&D.
Since its founding in 2002 as a spin-off from CEA-Leti, ULIS has become the second largest producer of microbolometers for defense, surveillance, thermography, firefighting, outdoor leisure and automotive markets. The company that started with 35 staff now employs 200. It has experienced double-digit growth, averaging 20% per year since its inception.
In addition, ULIS has injected €70M ($78.7M) to improve production tools and processes, enabling an increase in volume production from a couple of thousand units per year to several hundred thousand. It will soon deliver its one millionth component.
Is this because the last of the Honeywell patents expire next year and ULIS can then expand into new markets?
ReplyDelete