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Press Release Detail: Thorlabs Expands Global Operation to Montreal, Canada Newton, NJ - April 29, 2014 - Thorlabs announced today that it has added a new R&D and manufacturing site to its global operations. Based in Montreal, Canada, Thorlabs Canada ULC will focus on the development and production of a range of innovative passive fiber-based optical components. The opening of the Canadian operation expands Thorlabs’ geographical footprint to include 13 manufacturing entities in 9 countries spread over 4 continents. The team will focus its R&D efforts on developing a broad range of fiber-based optical components necessary for next generation medical imaging devices and advanced instrumentation for use in the physical sciences. Thorlabs’ choice to establish a new office in Montreal was a natural given the talent, capabilities, and experience of the local optics and physics community. “We look forward to collaborating with strong academic partners, such as Ecole Polytechnique & Université de Montréal, to bring innovative optical components to the market place. “We are also excited to contribute to strengthening Montréal’s position as a technological center in Photonics” commented Eric Geoffrion, Managing Director of the Canadian operation. Thorlabs Canada has recently begun hiring and expects to reach full employment of 40 people within a few years. About Thorlabs: Thorlabs, a vertically integrated photonics products manufacturer, was founded in 1989 to serve the laser and electro-optics research market. As that market has spawned a multitude of technical innovations, Thorlabs has extended its core competencies in an effort to play an ever increasing role serving the Photonics Industry at the research end, as well as the industrial, life science, medical, and defense segments. The organization’s highly integrated and diverse manufacturing assets include semiconductor fabrication of Fabry-Perot, DFB, QCL, and VCSEL lasers, fiber towers for drawing both silica and fluoride glass optical fibers, MBE crystal growth machines, extensive glass and metal fabrication facilities, advanced thin film deposition capabilities, and optomechanical and optoelectronic shops.