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Bourns Completes Integration of Jensen Devices AB Acquisition

December 03, 2012 by Jeff Shepard

Bourns, Inc. announced it has completed the integration of its acquisition of assets from Jensen Devices AB. This integration included incorporating the acquired Jensen Devices AB products into Bourns' gas discharge tube (GDT) product line, which are available for purchase now, and the transfer of manufacturing from Jensen's factory in Solluntuna, Sweden to Bourns' ISO certified manufacturing facility in Heredia, Costa Rica. The SA2 series of high voltage GDTs are used as overvoltage protectors and the Sparctube® ST series of switching GDTs are utilized in ignition circuits for automotive HID headlights. These GDT products further enhance Bourns' superior technical capabilities, and strengthen the company's circuit protection leadership in several industries including automotive, industrial and telecommunications.

"The successful integration of Jensen Devices products allows Bourns to make a strategic entry into the automotive Xenon headlamp market, which is projected for continued growth through 2016 and beyond," said Dr. Erik Meijer, President of Bourns Electronics. "These products not only strengthen and expand Bourns' GDT line, but benefit our customers by giving them additional product options and design flexibility."

Bourns Sparctube ST series of GDTs feature breakdown voltages between 350 V and 1000 V, including the most utilized versions of 800 V and 840 V, which are ideally suited for automotive HID Xenon headlight applications. Characterized by long-term reliability and high temperature performance, the Sparctube ST series is designed specifically for voltage controlled switching of capacitive discharge circuits where high energy, low loss and a fast rate of switching are required.

The Bourns SA2 series of high voltage GDTs are designed for high isolation applications such as in street lighting, medical devices, air conditioning units, power supply devices, projectors and welders. The series features high insulation resistance over a wide temperature range and is offered with DC breakdowns from 2.4 kV to 7.2 kV. Other customized voltages are available upon request.

With strategic acquisitions and through the company's internal product development, Bourns has more than 35 years of experience developing GDTs for the circuit protection market. The company is committed to providing the industry's most complete line of circuit protection solutions. Bourns has made 10 acquisitions in the preceding 12 years, including Joslyn Electronics' communication protection products business, Texas Instruments' solid state Telecom protection business, Fultec's Transient Blocking Unit technology and the Protection Product businesses of Corning Cable Systems and Emerson Network Power.