RIO DE JANEIRO, Sept. 29 (UPI) -- The Thales Group of France has acquired 100 percent of the capital of Omnisys, a Brazilian electronics engineering company near Sao Paulo.
"Brazil is strategically important for Thales," said Laurent Mourre, Thales country director for Brazil. "We are proud that Omnisys, as the industrial arm of Thales in Brazil, is already part of our network of research and development centers of excellence and is assuming a key role in the development of the entire group."
Omnisys, established in 1997, was the first Brazilian electronic engineering company to supply high-tech solutions for civil, military and space applications not only to the Brazilian market but also to other countries in Latin America, Europe and Asia.
"Omnisys is already part of the Thales global supply chain," Mourre said."The company will manage transfers of technology for the major programs that are due to be launched in Brazil in the coming years.
"Our strategy of transferring technology, establishing a local industrial base and involving local partners in (research and development) is fully aligned with the Brazilian government's investment policy."
Omnisys has been majority-owned by Thales since 2005 and designs, develops and manufactures long-range L-band radars under a successful industrial cooperation agreement.
The company has produced more than 26 TRAC L-band radars since 2008.
Thales said the Brazilian company serves key market segments, including air traffic control radars, weather forecasting radars, weapon locating radars, electronic warfare and naval missile systems and is progressively expanding its activities into other sectors.
Thales in March announced its decision to manufacture the Ground Master 400 air defense radars in Brazil, giving the Brazilian company access to the world's most advanced and complex radar technologies.
Thales, which has headquarters in Paris, has steadily expanded its industrial operations in Brazil over the last 40 years and broadened its portfolio of businesses to meet a growing need for critical information systems in various segments of the Brazilian market.
Over this period, it consolidated its position in a number of major markets. For example, with an installed base of more than 100 radars, the group has developed unique expertise in the air traffic management and air defense sectors; it was selected to equip submarines for the Brazilian navy and supply a broad range of communication equipment to the federal police.
In the space market, the group has been selected by the satellite operator Star One to provide advanced civil and military telecom services to the Ministry of Defense.
