International law firm Taylor Wessing has advised new client Fabrinet on its acquisition of Exception EMS, a UK-based contract manufacturer of printed circuit board assemblies (PCBA’s) for approximately $13.5 million. Fabrinet provides optical packaging and precision optical, electro-mechanical and electronic manufacturing services to original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) of complex products, such as optical communication components, modules and sub-systems, industrial lasers, medical devices and sensors.

The acquisition of Exception EMS will enable Fabrinet to launch an additional manufacturing and technical footprint in the UK and Europe. The company’s current manufacturing base is in Thailand, South East Asia, with facilities also in the U.S. and China.Colin Campbell, General Counsel at Fabrinet commented “The Taylor Wessing team guided us through the complexities of this cross-border deal to acquire Exception EMS and we have been very impressed with their approach throughout. The UK has a great pedigree in technology and manufacturing and is a very attractive location for business. We look forward to working with Taylor Wessing in the future as we take our business through the next phase of growth.”Corporate Technology partner Philip Shepherd said: “It has been a pleasure to work with Colin and the team at Fabrinet on this exciting investment, which will expand their footprint into the European region and enhance the services they can provide to their customers.”Mark Barron, Corporate Technology partner situated in Taylor Wessing’s Silicon Valley office said: “Our presence in the US supports clients like Fabrinet, looking to do business in Europe, the Middle East and Asia. Our international team is renowned for assisting US clients with multi-jurisdictional matters like this and acts as a gateway to over 1,200 lawyers operating out of 33 offices internationally. We wish Fabrinet all the very best for the future and look forward to working on further projects with the Fabrinet team soon.”The Taylor Wessing team advising Fabrinet was led by Corporate partners Mark Barron in Menlo Park and Philip Shepherd in London with support from associates Katie Stirling and Sarah Cole. Specialist advice was provided by Nikol Davies, Ann Casey and Eithne James (Tax and Incentives), Anna McCaffrey, Roxane Bradley (Employment), George Biggar (Real Estate), Nimisha Agarwal (Disputes), Emma Aylwin (Pensions), Emma Tait (Environmental) and Korolyn Rouhani-Arani (Commercial).