IEN Europe: Optris was founded in 2003 in Berlin. What was your first marketable product and how big was the team?
Czech: We started in 2003 with a team of 11 people. Our first product was the optris CT, a two-piece infrared thermometer with one of the world’s smallest infrared sensing heads. The separate control box offers a high variability due to selectable analog outputs as well as several digital interfaces. The CT sensors have unique advantages for the installation in applications with high surrounding temperatures, such as within the metal, ceramics or glass industry.
IEN Europe: How many different products do you have in your portfolio now and what product groups are represented?
Czech: Nowadays, our product portfolio includes more than 3000 part number variations if we count all the possible combinations. Optris is producing infrared thermometers, IR cameras, accessories and software. On the infrared thermometer group we have nine different product families, on IR cameras we have two imager families, the Compact line and the Precision line.
IEN Europe: What are the main industry sectors for your products and have there been important new sectors added over the years?
Czech: Temperature is the second most frequently measured physical measurand after time, playing a critical role in manufacturing, quality control, and maintenance. Precise temperature monitoring enhances product quality and productivity, reducing downtime by enabling continuous operation under optimal conditions. In industrial applications field such as Metal, Glass, Plastics, Electronics, Automotive, Semiconductors, Solar, Battery monitoring, 3D printing and AM, Food and Pharmaceutical. Over the last years fire safety applications got more and more important, driven by the technological development in the battery industry.
IEN Europe: Software is playing an increasingly important role in all areas of modern industry. What are the different offerings for your products?
Czech: Optris temperature sensors and thermal imagers come with complimentary, license-free IR software. These robust software solutions cater to all thermal imaging applications and are continuously maintained by a team of skilled engineers, ensuring reliable and cutting-edge measurement performance. The software offers advanced features for detailed analysis, real-time monitoring, and seamless integration with other equipment. It is an essential tool for industries requiring precision and efficiency in infrared temperature measurement.
PIX Connect is the most sophisticated software solution for Optris IR cameras, offering extensive real-time thermal imaging and analysis. Key features include detailed temperature profiles, temperature trends, line scanners, image mergers, event grabbers, customizable alarm systems, and seamless data integration. With a proven track record in the field, PIX Connect is an indispensable and reliable Windows-based software platform used across various industries.
The Compact Connect and CompactPlus Connect software are robust tools for managing Optris infrared pyrometers. It offers real-time temperature visualization, advanced signal processing, and comprehensive data logging.
IEN Europe: After more than 20 years of successful management by founder Dr.-Ing. Ulrich Kienitz, his son, Dr.-Ing. Sascha Kienitz, has joined the management team 2024. What goals and visions are there for continuing the successful path for Optris?
Czech: In the past 20 years, Optris has constantly reinvented itself and also further developed its own products. In the 2010s, the company greatly optimized the performance parameters through so-called micromachining, thus improving the price-performance ratio. Modern measuring systems now reliably detect even 25 µm small objects in the temperature range from -50 to 3000 °C within a few milli-seconds.
As an international company, Optris is active in many countries around the world. Abroad, people trust in this competence: the export share of the products is 75 percent. Strong growth markets for the Berlin experts are the US and Asian markets. Through technological innovation and a local presence, Optris aims to further expand its international business in the future.
IEN Europe: Thank you for these insights!
