II-VI

About II-VI

In 1971, in Saxonburg, Pennsylvania, Carl Johnson and James Hawkey started a company with a name only a chemist could love: II-VI. Pronounced "Two-Six," the name referenced the second and sixth columns of the periodic table, the elemental home of cadmium telluride, a compound critical for their first products—lenses, windows, and mirrors for CO2 lasers. This was not a flashy consumer startup, but a deep-tech play from the beginning, manufacturing the fundamental materials and components that power laser systems. The company grew steadily, and by 1987, it was ready for the public markets, completing an initial public offering (IPO) to fund further research and expand manufacturing. Throughout the 1990s and 2000s, II-VI embarked on a disciplined strategy of growth through acquisition, purchasing smaller companies to add new capabilities in optics and specialized materials. A major turning point came in 2019 with the acquisition of Finisar for approximately $3.2 billion. This move created a powerhouse in the photonics industry, combining II-VI's expertise in engineered materials with Finisar's leadership in optical communications. But the biggest transformation was yet to come. In 2022, II-VI acquired one of its largest competitors, Coherent, Inc. In a bold move, the company then dropped its own historical name and rebranded the entire combined entity as Coherent Corp., recognizing the strength of the Coherent brand and signaling a new, unified vision for the future.