AFL Acquires The Light Brigade

15/09/2008

Spartanburg, SC - AFL(http://www.aflglobal.com) announces that it has acquired a majority ownership position in The Light Brigade(http://www.lightbrigade.com/), a leading fiber optic training company and supplier of media and products, located in Tukwila, Washington. This acquisition expands AFL’s technical training capacity, allowing for increased service to current and potential customers.

“With the increased demand for qualified technicians, The Light Brigade’s 20+ years of experience, along with the strength and outreach of its instructor base, provides additional capacity, allowing us to serve even more customers,” said Patrick Dobbins, Director of AFL’s Fiber Optic Training Division. “And our combined training capabilities bridge a gap so that we can promote advanced integrated solutions for our customers.”

AFL currently provides both product and application training, building fundamental capabilities and supporting the most advanced technical requirements. Courses are offered at AFL’s corporate headquarters in Spartanburg, South Carolina and worldwide at various customer locations.

AFL’s current technical training courses have been reviewed and certified by the Fiber Optics Association (FOA) and select courses are eligible for BICSI® education credits. 
With the addition of The Light Brigade’s current curriculum of training programs, AFL expands its training to include the Electronics Technicians Association, International (ETA®) certification, enabling technicians’ certification in areas of electronic equipment service and support.

“With the acquisition, AFL will be able to provide resources to allow The Light Brigade to expand existing courses and develop new courses, curriculum and training materials,” said Larry Johnson, President of The Light Brigade. “Not only is this a win for AFL and The Light Brigade, but also for our clients who want to develop their knowledge and skills.”

Terms of the acquisition are undisclosed.
About AFL
AFL is an industry leader in providing fiber optic products, engineering expertise and integrated services to the Electric Utility, Broadband, Telco, OEM, Private Network and Wireless markets. It has operations in the U.S., Mexico and the U.K. AFL is a division of Fujikura Ltd. of Japan.

Contact
Corie Culp, Public Relations Manager
AFL
864.433.5409
corie.culp@aflglobal.com