Mikropack Acquisition Platform for Accelerated Growth

Dunedin, Florida (May 10, 2006) – Mikropack GmbH, a major German manufacturer of innovative, high quality light sources and photonic accessories has been acquired by Halma p.l.c., a leading safety and environmental technology group based in the United Kingdom.  Mikropack will join Halma’s Ocean Optics group of photonics businesses.

Founded in 1995 by the two presidents Gerald Nitsch and Dieter Steck, Mikropack (www.mikropack.de) manufactures essential components for analytical spectroscopic systems. The company has enjoyed a successful partnership with Ocean Optics for ten years. In addition to its photonics accessories Mikropack brings a full range of turnkey systems in the field of thin film metrology to the Ocean Optics group with its own worldwide distribution network.

Gerald Nitsch and Dieter Steck will remain as presidents of Mikropack.  "We are very excited to become a part of Halma’s Ocean Optics group in this, the tenth anniversary year of our partnership with Ocean Optics." said Gerald Nitsch. "Our combined strengths in research and development, production and sales are the basis for our current market leading positions and provide great potential for future development."

Halma (www.halma.com) is a holding company of almost 50 worldwide subsidiaries that develop and manufacture products that enhance public safety and minimize hazards at work. The company’s business groups focus on fire and gas products, water technology, elevator electronics, process safety, resistors, and optics technologies.

Ocean Optics (www.OceanOptics.com) is a leading supplier of solutions for optical sensing - fundamental methods of measuring and interpreting the interaction of light with matter. Since 1989, Ocean Optics has developed an extensive line of complementary technologies including chemical sensors, analytical instrumentation, optical fibers, thin films and optics.

Andrew Williams, Halma’s Chief Executive, commented "Through our Ocean Optics business, we have used Mikropack’s light source technology in a wide range of spectroscopy measurement applications and end-markets for many years. The acquisition not only secures this important technology but strengthens our position in Europe and provides a better platform for further geographical expansion of all of the Group’s photonics products."