FACE TO FACE at Queen ’ s University Belfast . Mike knew that the time required for inspection and quality control of sheet-metal parts caused a regular bottleneck in the production process . Hightech laser-cutting machines could produce parts a lot faster than they could be inspected , and he and his colleagues had become frustrated with the lack of options available to inspect sheet-metal parts . We got together to solve a practical challenge , saw a gap in the market and developed the Planar 2D , the world ’ s fastest measurement system for 2D parts .
The product range has further developed to include the Opti-Scan 3D for full 3D inspection and the Accuity , a system suitable for both 2D and 3D inspection of small intricate parts . As a company we continue to be very focused on R & D , which includes continuously streamlining and improving our products .
Achievements in the past two to three years include being awarded the prestigious Queen ’ s Award for Enterprise in International Trade in 2021 . Other notable awards in recent years include ‘ Northern Ireland Winner of the Federation of Small Business High Growth Business of the Year ’ and a marketing award from the Chartered Institute of Marketing Ireland . We were also ‘ Highly Commended ’ in the global player category of the Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce Awards 2021 .
In addition , we have collaborated with TRUMPF to become a TRUMPF Partner company and are the only inspection system that TRUMPF recommends to its customers in the sheet-metal industry .
These achievements highlight the substantial growth of InspecVision , on a global level , over the last few years .
ISMR : What are your views on the current global business climate for sheet-metal professionals ? What about the climate in 2023 ?
JA : The war in Ukraine has had a huge impact on energy prices , particularly in Europe . This has driven up the price of raw materials and the running costs of the production machines . When sheet-metal parts cost more to produce , it becomes even more critical to minimize the production of bad parts . Inspection is one of the best ways to do that as any quality issues can be identified early in the production process . With the urgent push to carbonneutral energy , these pressures may be around for quite some time .
One of the biggest issues currently for businesses globally is accessing experienced and skilled staff . This was a problem before the COVID-19 pandemic but is an even bigger problem now . Despite sheet-metal professionals increasing the levels of automation in their businesses , there are still many manual steps in most sheet-metal production . There can be a reluctance to
Our customers are looking for practical ways to increase automation and reduce the skills required to do the tasks that cannot be automated
take on jobs which require skilled manual operations , particularly for smaller production runs .
Our customers are looking for practical ways to increase automation and reduce the skills required to do the tasks that cannot be automated . The demand for sheet-metal components continues to grow and our customers are seeking ways to grow without having to recruit additional staff .
ISMR : How has the COVID-19 crisis affected your operations and which steps have you taken in response ?
JA : Like many manufacturing companies globally , the COVID-19 crisis impacted many aspects of our operations . This ranged from a substantial reduction in output due to many of our customers putting investment projects
Large part on inspection table .
Planar P1200-200 measurement system on a customer line in South Africa .
on hold , employees being on furlough / working from home and the difficulties of installing machines around the world due to travel restrictions globally . Thankfully , our working environment is almost back to normal now although we have continued with a more flexible way of working , with some employees choosing to continue working remotely .
In terms of sales and production , we are on target for a record year . The year 2019 was also a record year for us and sales in 2022 look set to exceed pre-COVID levels . However , as for everyone , the level of inflation is a major challenge .
ISMR : What is your strategic and technical focus for the company ? Please elaborate .
JA : Our company strategy continues to focus on growth and on building the InspecVision brand . Our goal is to be the ‘ top-of-mind ’ brand for sheet-metal businesses who are seeking to automate or improve their inspection and quality control processes . Our origins are in the sheet-metal industry and our mission is to use our expertise to provide the industry with technologies which will save time , reduce costs and improve processes .
In terms of markets ,