After gobbling up two firms this summer, microscope distributor NCI Inc. will launch a new product line of clean room tools, air compressors and other scientific instruments at the Medical Design and Manufacturing trade show in Minneapolis Sept. 21.

The product launch comes after acquisitions doubled the size of the Plymouth-based distributor to 49 employees. The company now has more than $25 million in annual revenue.

Last month, NCI bought Kruge Air, a Maple Grove supplier of air compressors for $1.2 million. In April, it bought the Unique Too tooling firml in Hutchinson for about $1 million. Employees of the newly blended company will relocate to NCI's Plymouth location by year end.

In the meantime, NCI officials are integrating processes and marketing products under a single corporate umbrella. They will attend the massive trade show in Minneapolis for the first time with a bevy of new scientific products.

The dash toward diversification is a huge step for the employee-owned company that began as a distributor of hospital microscopes in 1967. It has since grown into a key supplier of microscopy and histology equipment. Recent deals have catapulted the small firm in new directions.

NCI CEO Brad Johnson said his goal is to double the size of each of the newly acquired businesses within five years.

"NCI has always excelled in delivering exceptional value for our core business. When we looked to the future it was clear, however, the company would need to diversify to continue growing," said Johnson who joined NCI in 1996.

"Our strategy is to acquire strong organizations who share a similar customer base. As we grow and diversify, we'll take our established model for sales, service and distribution and apply it to each newly created business unit," he said. "Our latest acquisition is just one more step toward accomplishing our objective of becoming the dominant distributor in our market space."