Siemens acquires visual inspection company Inspekto
Siemens has completed the acquisition of Inspekto, a startup specialising in high-performance visual inspection, which was part of the portfolio of venture capitalist D11Z. Ventures (previously known as Zukunftsfonds Heilbronn). This transaction represented a notable milestone in the evolution of Inspekto.
Thomas Villinger, Managing Director of D11Z. Ventures, explains: "Inspekto is a prime example of our strategy of investing in promising digital start-ups. Since our investment in 2017, we have actively supported Inspekto's growth within Europe. For us, now is the ideal time to exit. We are very pleased about the sale to Siemens."
Currently, Inspekto is recognised as a trailblazer in autonomous image processing. The company provides AI-driven inspection solutions for industrial processes, employing technology that emulates cognitive human vision for quality assurance purposes. Its applications span various sectors including mechanical engineering, the automotive industry, electronics, and consumer goods. The technology is versatile, suited for inspecting a diverse array of processes like metal casting, plastic injection moulding, coatings, mechanical assembly, material removal processes, incoming goods inspection, and packaging & labelling. These capabilities are available in an integrated, centrally controlled, standalone, or mobile system.
"Our goal is to make automated visual inspection solutions accessible to manufacturers of all sizes and production flexibility," says Ulrich Eger, CEO of Inspekto. Due to economic change and the need for dynamic production requirements, the demand from manufacturers for flexible, autonomous quality inspection systems has risen continuously worldwide. "With Siemens AG, Inspekto has now found a strong partner to continue to successfully develop and offer the products, technologies, and services of Inspekto GmbH worldwide," adds Eger.
Siemens, a client of Inspekto, emphasises that the company's technology contributes significantly to quality improvement in production. The acquisition by Siemens is the result of a fruitful collaboration and paves the way for the global expansion of Inspekto technology.
"Inspekto's innovative AI technology and capabilities are another valuable addition to our industrial AI software portfolio. This strengthens our offering in the Siemens Industrial Edge ecosystem for our customers. The main application is the easy-to-use automated visual quality inspection based on image processing," says Rainer Brehm, CEO of Siemens Factory Automation.