Company info sheet for:

"Electro Scientific Industries, Inc. (ESIO/NASDAQ) designs and builds sophisticated manufacturing tools for the worldwide electronics industry. The company produces advanced laser trimming and processing systems for hybrid, multi-chip module, semiconductor and packaging manufacturers; equipment for the production, handling and testing of passive components, and machine vision products."

"Founded in 1953, ESI’s first products were high-precision resistance measurement instruments and reference standards. The company developed laser-based systems for hybrid circuit resistor trimming in 1970. In 1980, the company expanded its laser product line by introducing an advanced laser system, incorporating a laser of the company’s own design, to be used by semiconductor manufacturers for the repair of redundant memories. In 1982, ESI acquired Palomar Systems, Inc., a successful supplier of manufacturing equipment for passive component chips. In 1991, ESI acquired Intelledex Vision Products, a manufacturer of systems that perform video pattern recognition and optical character recognition for many industries including electronics, automotive and general manufacturing. In 1994, ESI acquired Chicago Laser Systems Inc., an international supplier of hybrid laser trim systems. In 1995, ESI acquired XRL, Inc., an international supplier of memory repair systems."

"ESI’s Vision Products division provides on-line product or component inspection and assembly verification during the manufacturing process. ESI’s Vision Products put high-speed vision and computing tools to work in a wide variety of electronics manufacturing applications and beyond.  Patented illumination products from XRL have bolstered ESI’s character recognition offerings."