Pulse acquires LK products

Pulse, a Technitrol Company, one of the world's largest electronic component manufacturers and a leader in passive, magnetics-based components, announced it has expanded its wireless communications product offering through the acquisition of LK Products Oy, Kempele, Finland, a leading global producer of cellular and non-cellular antennas and integrated modules for mobile handsets. This positions Pulse as the world's second largest supplier of handset antennas, building on its already comprehensive line of RF magnetic components for use in wireless and RF applications. LK's product line complements Pulse's line of antennas that are compatible with IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n (WiFi), Bluetooth, and ZigBee applications and devices that utilise industrial, scientific and medical (ISM) frequency bands. Pulse's antennas also perform with GPS, RFID and the newer wideband technologies. Pulse's RF magnetic components are used in mobile communications, cable television, hybrid fiber/coax (HFC) equipment, cable modems, set-top boxes, home networking and RF medical and industrial equipment. Platforms include wirewound chip inductors, transformers/baluns, low-pass filters, diplex filters, directional couplers and RF splitter/combiners. "The acquisition of LK makes Pulse a major player in the wireless communications market," said Alan Benjamin, Senior Vice President of Pulse's Signal Products Group. "Our antenna business is poised to grow significantly in the next few years. LK is now the cornerstone of the newly formed antenna products division in Pulse's Signal Products Group." "LK has an innovative product portfolio and a team of extremely talented people. Pulse's global infrastructure and manufacturing expertise will help grow LK's business beyond handsets into a wide variety of devices and applications," said Pulse's President John Kowalski. "In addition, we can supply our customers with a full range of wireless technologies, and they can benefit from the economies of scale of Pulse's and LK's combined global sales, marketing, manufacturing, and management teams." The LK team will continue to be led by its current management under Jouni Anttila, who becomes Vice President, Antenna Products at Pulse. The group will remain in Kempele, Finland.