SMS Meer of Germany acquired shares held by Austrian measurement-technology company TBK Automatisierung und Messtechnik GmbH. The company has been developing measurement-technology solutions for the steel industry since 1989, particularly laser measuring systems using the light section method. Compared with conventional systems, this technology ensures much higher attention to detail and much higher accuracy in the measurement of bar cross sections. TBK’s product range includes measuring instruments for identifying and qualifying hot and cold-rolled products. Different scanner sizes cover applications from wire-rod and bar production to heavy beam mills.