In mid-May, an AVX Corp. subsidiary, AVX Interconnect Europe, signed a EUR 12.5 million agreement to acquire Kumatec Sondermaschinenbau & Kunststoffverarbeitung, a German plastic components manufacturer based in Neuhaus-Schierschnitz, near Coburg. As a U.S. supplier of advanced electronic parts, interconnect solutions and sensor products, AVX bought Kumatec to benefit from the latter’s expertise in automation. The chief executive of AVX, John Sarvis, stated that the “acquisition of Kumatec and our joint venture into the hydrogen market will provide us with additional manufacturing capabilities and create new opportunities for business.”