When visions become reality
Industrial camera manufacturer IDS Imaging Development Systems GmbH celebrates its 25th anniversary. The owner-managed family business, located in Obersulm, Baden-Württemberg, continues to forge its own path. As a forerunner in the field of digital image processing, the company, around its founder and managing director Jürgen Hartmann, aims to continue facilitating the use of forward-looking technologies for its customers in the years to come, in line with the company motto " It's so easy ".
The courage to innovate in challenging times
For the past two years, the middle class has been under enormous pressure. The worldwide shortage of semiconductors and tense supply chains for essential electronic components continue to affect industrial camera production. Faced with the current global economic situation, IDS is reacting flexibly and creatively in this anniversary year: the short-term development of new hardware platforms, forward-looking corrections in development orientation and efficient supplier management are aimed at securing the flow of goods and cushioning the effects of the current situation. " The ability to change is our strength "says Jürgen Hartmann. He adds: " A flexible response to market conditions has always been the key to the company's continued success. ".
At the same time, the camera manufacturer is pursuing its own visions. Forward-looking technologies from the consumer world, consistently developed for industry, make it one of the world leaders in the sector. What began in 1997 with frame grabbers led in 2004 to the market's first industrial camera with USB interface. In the anniversary year of 2022, the focus will be on application-based cameras with artificial intelligence, as well as on opening up new fields of application for image processing. " We always have many more ideas than we can implement "explains Jürgen Hartmann.
From Obersulm to the world
Over the past 25 years, the family business has developed into an independent, ISO-certified manufacturer of digital industrial cameras, employing around 350 people. Innovative image processing components are developed and produced by IDS at its headquarters in Obersulm. With subsidiaries in the USA, Japan, the UK and South Korea, as well as other representative offices, IDS has an international presence.
An important part of the company's identity has always been and remains the regional network in the form of cooperations with universities, start-ups and young technology pioneers. In 2020, the company also moved into the state-of-the-art b39 technology center. Despite its growth, the company never loses sight of its responsibility towards people and the environment. This includes sustainability in production and shipping, fairness towards business partners and a strong sense of family. What's more, since 2021, IDS has been working in a completely climate-neutral way.
New products for the anniversary
For the company's 25th anniversary, the focus is on the future. " The idea of innovation and the desire to create something new, which have always prevailed at IDS, are firmly rooted in each and every one of us. We're looking forward to the future," explains Jan Hartmann, Managing Director of IDS and son of the company's founder. So, in addition to the launch of some new products, such as models with particularly high transmission speed and resolution, the jubilee year will above all be an opportunity to continue the development of IDS NXT intelligent industrial cameras with artificial intelligence. " AI is currently on everyone's lips, but very few companies are already using this technology.. Artificial intelligence solves tasks that are usually beyond the reach of conventional image processing, opening up entirely new fields of application, such as traffic and the intelligent city, or the environment and intelligent agriculture. "explains Jan Hartmann. With visionpier, the online marketplace for image processing, IDS creates a virtual bridge between users, with or without image processing experience, and suppliers of turnkey vision solutions.
Broadening our business focus means not only putting the company on a broader footing for years to come, but also entering sectors where image processing can help solve growing socio-political challenges.
" Today, if you want to make your mark on the market, you have to be creative and follow your own path. If everyone else is going in one direction, on principle, I like to go in the other. "says founder and CEO Jürgen Hartmann. This is how visions become products.