Businessweek

rs, distributed feedback (DFB) lasers, tunable lasers, positive intrinsic negative (PIN) detectors, fused fiber couplers, isolators, filters, polarization beam combiners, interleavers, splitters, and arrayed waveguide gratings (AWGs). Most of these optical components are used internally in the manufacture of its optical subsystems. The company sells some of these components in the ‘merchant market’ to other subsystems manufacturers. The company also offers products used in building fiber-to-the-home/curb networks and for parallel optics applications such as backplanes for switches and routers. The company offers WSS and ROADM linecard products for wavelength management in DWDM telecommunication networks. The company’s WSS and ROADM linecard product offering ranges from 1x2, 1x4 and 1x9 products up to higher output fiber port counts in its latest 1x23 product. Strategy The company’s business strategy includes the following elements: invest in or acquire critical technologies to further vertical integration strategy, expand product line of optical subsystems, utilize core competencies across multiple high-growth markets, strengthen and expand customer relationships, and continue to strengthen lower-cost manufacturing capabilities. Research and Development In 2012, the company’s research and development expenses related to its continuing operations were $146.0 million. Intellectual Property The company owns approximately 1,193 issued U.S. patents and approximately 180 patent applications with additional foreign counterparts. Customers The company sells its optical products to manufacturers of storage systems, networking equipment and telecommunication equipment, such as Alcatel-Lucent, Brocade, Ciena, Cisco Systems, EMC, Emulex, Ericsson, Fujitsu, Hewlett-Packard Company, Huawei, IBM, Juniper, Qlogic, Nokia-Siemens and Tellabs, as well as their contract manufacturers. Its major customers include Cisco Systems and Huawei. Competition The company’s principal competitors for optical transceivers sold for data communication applications include Avago Technologies, JDS Uniphase and Opnext. Its principal competitors for optical transceivers sold for telecommunication applications include JDS Uniphase, Oclaro, Opnext and Sumitomo. The company’s principal competitors for WSS ROADM products include CoAdna, JDS Uniphase, Oclaro and Oplink. Significant Events In March 2013, 3S Photonics SAS and Finisar Corp. announced their formal agreement to launch a partnership for the development of a new packaging platform for 980nm cooled laser pump modules. History Finisar Corporation was founded in 1987.