Metris was named Enterprise of the Year in 2006, but has been hard-hit by the economic crisis, and earlier this year was forced into talks with its creditors on debt-rescheduling. The takeover by Nikon will give the Leuven-based company an opening in Asia and Japan for its micro-metrology range of products, which are used in the automotive industry, engineering and aerospace. Nikon, while best-known as a camera company, also operates in the nano-metrology sector, where it is not in direct competition with Metris. While Nikon provides markets in Asia, Metris brings with it a strong position in Europe and North America.

When Nikon was founded in 1917, it brought together three major optical equipment companies, which went on to produce the celebrated Nikkor lens. The company is still made up of three major divisions. Consumer products led by cameras make up 70% of Nikon's €6.4 billion turnover, and the company sells just over one in every three digital reflex cameras sold. Precision instruments like scanners and steppers for the manufacture of LCD screens and computer chips make up 25% of turnover. Nikon Instruments also produces microscopes for medical and industrial applications, as well as measuring equipment capable of working down to a sub-micron level.