York, PA—October 6, 2011—Spectris plc, the productivity-enhancing instrumentation and control company and parent of Red Lion Controls, today announces that it has completed the acquisition of Sixnet LLC, a privately-held company based in Albany, NY. Sixnet is a leading manufacturer of flexible industrial Ethernet switch, automation and wireless solutions for the industrial market, and employs around 110 people.

Sixnet joins Red Lion in the Industrial Controls segment of Spectris plc and will be led by Red Lion’s President, Mike Granby. Red Lion provides operator interface products for a wide range of manufacturing and process industries. Sixnet’s hardened Ethernet networking switches complement those of Red Lion’s N-Tron division and the remote automation solutions complement Red Lion’s own product range. Sixnet’s cellular wireless portfolio for the machine-to-machine market provides a new area of business for Red Lion. The majority of Sixnet’s sales are to the US domestic market and good opportunities exist to expand overseas sales using Red Lion’s international distribution channels, particularly in China.

“The acquisition of Sixnet will enable Red Lion to provide a broader range of solutions to our customers, and expand both our global presence and our strategic business segments,” said Mike Granby, President of Red Lion. “As a trusted global provider of industrial automation products, we are continually looking for ways to bring increased value to our customers as they strive to improve their productivity. Sixnet’s solutions and 35 years of experience in the industrial space are a great addition to our team. Over time, we intend to share technologies within our solution portfolio which will allow us to bring even more value to our customers.”

“This acquisition is very synergistic and will expand channel and product opportunities worldwide,” said Hilton Nicholson, president and CEO of Sixnet. “As part of Spectris, Sixnet gains access to an industry leader that will support continued sales momentum and global expansion. The acquisition also provides an ideal platform to launch our new cellular automation and Ethernet products.”

Red Lion Controls, an internationally based manufacturer of a range of control devices, got its start in a garage in 1972, and now boasts three offices across the world as part of Spectris plc. Red Lion Controls has built a strong reputation in several product areas including human machine interface, process measurement and control, and digital measurement and control. Red Lion has a complete family of quality and value oriented products to serve the needs of our international customer base. In addition to world headquarters in York, Pennsylvania, Red Lion has sales offices in Europe and Asia.

Celebrating 35 years in operation, Sixnet provides innovative machine-to-machine (M2M) connectivity to industrial customers and markets worldwide. Sixnet’s flexible solutions enable organizations to cost-effectively increase business productivity while reducing costs. By integrating powerful enterprise-class networking with rugged reliability, Sixnet meets the standards of the most demanding applications in industries such as power, oil & gas, transportation, video & security, military, mobile data, maritime and more. Based in Ballston Lake, NY, the company employs approximately 110 people in offices across North America, Asia and Europe.

Drew Miale
Davies Murphy Group
+1 (781) 418-2438
redlion@daviesmurphy.com
www.daviesmurphy.com