Santec Holdings Corporation Acquires HM Solutions

Acquisition expands Santec’s cable assembly production test and measurement portfolio with advanced automated inspection and interferometric metrology solutions

Santec Holdings Corporation, a global photonics company providing advanced optical components and test and measurement solutions, announced today that it has acquired HM Solutions (HMS), a developer of advanced fiber optic connector inspection and interferometric measurement systems. The acquisition represents an important step in Santec’s continued expansion in fiber optic cable assembly production test and measurement, adding automated inspection and metrology capabilities to Santec’s existing portfolio of optical measurement solutions.

HM Solutions specializes in automated inspection and metrology systems for single-fiber and multifiber connectors. Its technology combines high-resolution visual inspection, scratch and defect analysis, and 3D interferometric measurement to provide comprehensive characterization of fiber optic connector endfaces.

A key focus of HM Solutions’ technology is the automation of connector inspection directly within fiber polishing fixtures. Rather than requiring operators to remove and individually load connectors into separate inspection and interferometry systems, HMS technology enables multiple connectors to be automatically positioned, inspected, and measured while remaining in the polishing fixture. This approach can significantly reduce operator handling and measurement time while improving consistency and traceability in high-volume fiber optic cable assembly production.

With this acquisition, Santec will expand its capabilities across the cable assembly production test process. Santec’s existing portfolio includes insertion loss and return loss measurement, optical power measurement, optical switching, stabilized light sources, reflectometry, and fiber inspection. The addition of HMS technology brings advanced automated connector inspection and interferometric metrology into this portfolio, enabling Santec to offer customers a more comprehensive range of solutions for fiber optic cable assembly manufacturing.

The combined technologies are expected to support increasingly automated production environments for single-fiber and multifiber cable assemblies, high-density connectivity, data center interconnects, and emerging optical interconnect applications.

“The acquisition of HM Solutions represents an important expansion of Santec’s capabilities in the fiber optic cable assembly production market,” said Chris Heisler, CEO of Santec California Corporation. “Our goal is to provide customers with a more complete portfolio of test and measurement solutions across the cable assembly manufacturing process. By combining Santec’s optical performance measurement technologies with HMS’s automated inspection and interferometric metrology capabilities, we can address more of the production workflow while helping customers improve automation, throughput, consistency, and traceability.”

The acquisition will also accelerate the development and commercialization of Santec’s AIM — Automated Inspection & Metrology platform. AIM is designed to automatically inspect and measure connectors directly in the polishing fixture, combining automated positioning, 2D endface inspection, scratch and defect analysis, and 3D interferometric measurements in a single platform. The system is designed to support both single-fiber and multifiber connector manufacturing and a variety of industry-standard polishing fixtures.

The acquisition supports Santec’s strategy to continue expanding its presence in the fiber optic cable assembly production test and measurement market. By bringing together optical performance testing, inspection, interferometric metrology, reflectometry, and automation, Santec intends to provide manufacturers with a broader portfolio of technologies spanning multiple stages of the cable assembly production process.

About Santec Holdings Corporation

Santec Holdings Corporation is a global photonics company developing advanced optical components, optical test and measurement instruments, tunable lasers, and photonic solutions for telecommunications, data communications, fiber optic manufacturing, and other advanced optical applications.

Through its group companies, Santec provides a broad portfolio of fiber optic test and measurement technologies, including optical power meters, insertion loss and return loss measurement systems, optical switches, stabilized light sources, reflectometers and tunable lasers.

The acquisition of HM Solutions further expands Santec’s capabilities in fiber optic cable assembly production and supports the company’s continued investment in integrated and automated test and measurement solutions for next-generation optical manufacturing.