BIC, manufacturer of products ranging from pens to lighters to shavers, has signed an agreement to acquire the share capital of the French company AMI, according to an announcement.
AMI, which stands for “Advanced Magnetic Interaction,” is the creator of the ISKN Repaper digital tablet.
With the technology, tablet users can write or draw as they normally would on paper, while also capturing their work electronically.
AMI’s website shows the technology has uses in education. Teachers can write on a tablet in a traditional “pen on paper” way, and what they write or draw can be connected to a computer and shared with others, which can help with distance learning.
The technology has creativity and artistic uses also, and the company’s website demonstrates how it can be used to turn 2D drawings into 3D animations.
Jean-Luc Vallejo, Tristan Hautson, and Timothée Jobert created AMI in 2014.
According to BIC, located locally in Shelton, the acquisition is expected to strengthen the company’s research and development capabilities in the area of digital expression.
BIC anticipates the deal will close in the third quarter of this year. Financial terms were not disclosed.
BIC has been branching out from its longtime product line of lighters, shavers and pens. In 2020, the company acquired the digital notebook company Rocketbook.
Contact Michelle Tuccitto Sullo at msullo@newhavenbiz.com.
