20 Years of Safe Infrared Temperature Measurement

Two decades of innovation in infrared: Since 2003, Berlin-based Optris GmbH has been taking care of accurate, reliable and non-contact temperature measurement in many different industries and research.

  • May 2, 2023
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  • Optris Founder and Managing Director Dr.-Ing. Ulrich Kienitz
    Optris Founder and Managing Director Dr.-Ing. Ulrich Kienitz

In 2003, Managing Director Dr.-Ing. Ulrich Kienitz founded Optris with the goal of enriching the range of measuring temperature sensors with innovative measuring and application principles. In the meantime, his company has grown to become a global leader in non-contact temperature measurement. Optris develops portable and stationary industrial thermometers as well as thermal imaging cameras that make temperature measurement easy and work safer. The applications for infrared temperature measurement are manifold: The systems are used in the glass, metal and plastics industries as well as in the automotive and electronics industries. In medical technology and bioscience, Optris devices support research, and they are also used for early fire detection, e.g. in the wood processing industry, in modern battery cell production or in recycling or waste processing.

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. "This allows such products to be used in series in mechanical and plant engineering," says Ulrich Kienitz. Modern measuring systems now reliably detect even 25 μm small objects in the temperature range from -50 to 3,000 °C within a few milli-seconds.

Export share of 75 percent

As an international company, Optris is active in many countries around the world. "From the very beginning, Optris has focused on building a broad distribution network, including OEM sales," continues Kienitz. 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 business further expand its international business in the future.