In May 2023, DIOPTIC opened its US branch in Rochester, NY. The results after just one year: all expectations have been exceeded and the prospects are excellent. Branch manager Kaitlin Dunn has played a major role in the successful start of DIOPTIC Inc. in the US.
The Magic of the Beginning
It is well known that there is magic in every beginning. When CEO Jean-Michel Asfour founded the DIOPTIC branch in Rochester, NY, in May 2023, he felt this magic: “We naturally thought through and prepared our decision to open a branch in the USA in order to establish a location there with long-term prospects. Nobody could have expected that we would reach so many milestones after just one year.”
Dedicated Branch Manager in Rochester
Kaitlin Dunn (Senior Optical Engineer), who holds a doctorate in optics, has been managing DIOPTIC’s US branch since July 2023. Her primary tasks include supporting existing customers and establishing and expanding customer contacts in North America. As part of this, she presented DIOPTIC’s expertise at international trade fairs such as Photonics West 2024 and local forums in Rochester, including Optifab 2023 and the Optica Industry Summit 2024 organized by Optimax. Working closely with her colleagues in Weinheim, Katie supports the company not only in sales, but also on the development side: “Becoming part of the DIOPTIC team has been an exciting experience. I’ve had the opportunity to work on so many aspects of our ARGOS product, including software development, customer support, marketing and sales,” says Kaitlin Dunn.
DIOPTIC Solutions for Customers on Site
The ARGOS system for automated surface inspection of optical components is currently the biggest growth driver. This allows hundreds of elements such as lenses or precision-coated optics to be inspected, evaluated and documented in the inspection area; even the smallest defects down to 1 µm in size are detected precisely and reliably. The fundamental advantage: with the ARGOS system, quality assurance is not only highly precise and reliable, but also significantly more efficient and economical. The fact that the ARGOS inspection system can also be designed to meet individual customer-specific requirements is an important plus point.
“At the Right Time, in the Right Place.”
The opportunities that have opened up for the optics specialists from Weinheim through the new office in Rochester are exceptional. On one hand, optical inspection systems like ARGOS are in high demand in future-forward technology fields, including the U.S. market. On the other hand, Rochester is known as one of the major hubs for the optics, photonics, and imaging industries. The DIOPTIC Inc. office is located in the NextCorps [KD1] building, a startup incubator in Rochester, where many tech startups, including those in optics, are based. In this environment, DIOPTIC has managed to position itself with its innovative inspection systems in just the first year.
“We have gained the impression that, after only one year, we are in the right place at the right time with our branch in Rochester,” says Jean-Michel Asfour happily. “And that’s just as beautiful a feeling as the magic of the beginning.”
If you would like to find out more about ARGOS or arrange demo measurements, please contact us!
