Aixtron mulls options after Chinese deal abandoned

Source: Xinhua | 2016-12-30

GERMAN semiconductor equipment maker Aixtron is considering reducing the size of the business with a partial sale, its chief executive said in an interview published yesterday, opening the door for bidders after a deal with a Chinese firm collapsed.

“There are two options: First, we could hope that the markets for our products recover and continue investing high sums in new equipment. But that would come with high development and ramp-up costs, and risks,” Martin Goetzeler told German daily Handelsblatt.

“Or Aixtron could shrink, divest technologies and continue with a specialized offering,” he said.

Aanalysts have said Aixtron’s future as a standalone company looked bleak because it is struggling to compete in an overcrowded market where Chinese companies call the shots.