In the world of machine vision, an image is nothing without excellent optics. Today, we hear from Sliman, head of Kowa’s French subsidiary, who explains why the synergy between their cutting-edge lenses and our vision solutions has become a natural fit.
How did the partnership between Kowa and Psycle come about?
Sliman Bella: I launched Kowa’s French subsidiary in early 2023 with a clear mission: to be as close as possible to the field in order to offer tailor-made solutions where the catalogue ends. At the end of 2024, we crossed paths with Psycle through a mutual partner. What struck us was that they ticked all the boxes our customers are looking for today: agility, constant innovation and a real growth trajectory. Psycle develops its own AI software and therefore has very specific optical needs. For Kowa, this is the ideal playing field: supporting an organisation that is not satisfied with standard solutions, but pushes the boundaries of what can be seen and analysed.
Supporting an organisation […] that pushes the boundaries of what can be seen and analysed.
In concrete terms, what does this partnership bring to each side?
SB: Psycle’s DNA is to tackle very recent issues in industrial vision. These new challenges often require specific optics that Kowa is capable of designing. In return, we provide them with critical responsiveness: Psycle is growing fast, their projects cannot wait, and they need a hardware partner capable of keeping up with this pace while delivering impeccable quality. We secure their hardware so that they can focus on the intelligence of their algorithms.
Can you mention a notable technical challenge that you overcame together?
SB: Psycle is very active in the food industry, a demanding and restrictive sector. One of their customers had a major problem: with the constant vibrations from the machines, standard lenses were losing their adjustment screws, which led to defocusing and production stoppages. We stepped in with our range of ruggedised lenses, specifically designed to withstand extreme shocks and vibrations. This technical fix was the real catalyst for our collaboration.