Chinese Investment Firm Agrees to Buy Xcerra

Dylan McGrath, EETimes, Apr. 10, 2017 – 

SAN FRANCISCO-A Chinese private equity firm has cut a deal to acquire Xcerra Corp., a Massachusetts-based supplier of semiconductor and electronics test equipment, for $580 million, Xcerra said Monday (April 10).

The deal is subject to closing conditions, including review by the Committee for Foreign Investment in the United States (CIFUS), a multi-agency U.S. government committee that reviews aspects of acquisition deals with an eye toward national security. A CIFUS review of the deal sets up a potential test for the U.S. government, which has grown increasingly wary of China's attempts to muscle into the semiconductor industry through acquisition of tech firms based in the U.S. and Europe.

Xcerra is the parent company of four brands that provide semiconductor and PCB test equipment. It was formed in 2014 when chip automatic test equipment (ATE) provider LTX-Credence acquired Everett Charles Technologies (ECT) in 2014 and Multitest from Dover Corp. in 2013.

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