The German company ATR, which is part of the Siempelkamp group, has acquired a minority stake in measuring electronics manufacturer, Electronic Wood Systems (EWS). The shareholding, the exact extent of which has not been disclosed, came into effect on 19 November following official signing of the contract. Ensuing from the cooperation agreement signed in 2006 between Siempelkamp and EWS, which led to the development of SicoScan, the process-integrated measuring system, investigations had been underway for some time into possibilities which would enable the two companies to collaborate even more closely. From January onwards these negotiations had gradually taken on a more concrete form, ultimately leading to the signing of the contract.