01 Jul 2023

Optical Measurement Technology Paves the Way for New Solutions

Beställa rätt klädstorlek på nätet, förutse isbildning i vindkraftparker, skapa energibesparingar i malningen av malm. Detta är några områden där optisk mätteknik kan vara en lösning. Adopticum hjälper små och medelstora företag att med optisk mätteknik optimera sina processer och utveckla nya tjänster eller produkter och på så sätt få stöd i att lösa sina hållbarhetsutmaningar.

Adopticum has its headquarters in Skellefteå. This is because it is located midway between Luleå and Umeå where ProcessIT has an office, which founded the foundation Adopticum in 2008. ProcessIT saw that there was a lack of a player for optical measurement technology within the process industry. The business took off when they applied for their first structural fund project, they became bigger and were able to reach out to more companies. The goal is to be able to help small and medium-sized companies solve their sustainability challenges. In the last six years, Adopticum has met 600 companies.

- We work with hungry, innovative companies and people, it is not tied to industry or specific location, says Kenth Johansson, CEO at Adopticum.

Runs Projects to Support the Companies in the Region

Adopticum will contribute to increasing the level of technological innovation at the region's companies, which is done by using camera- and sensor-based measurement systems, i.e., optical measurement technology. In the project Competitiveness through optical measurement technology (KOM), small and medium-sized companies in Västerbotten can propose sub-projects. The goal is to develop tomorrow's solutions that use optical measurement technology. The companies get the opportunity to do preliminary studies linked to an idea based on optical measurement technology. If it then turns out to be technically feasible, the company also gets the opportunity to proceed with a prototype project.

At the beginning of the year, Adopticum started the project Optical Innovation Power (OPTIK) together with LTU Business. In that project, small and medium-sized companies throughout Västerbotten and Norrbotten are given the opportunity to receive support to reach their sustainability goals with the help of optical measurement technology.

Adopticum helps companies, regardless of application area and industry, to use optical measurement technology to create innovative solutions. This means that the technical understanding may vary, but at Adopticum everyone gets their idea valued.

- It is not important to have a technical background, if you have a good idea, you should be able to come to Adopticum, says Maria Strand, vice president at Adopticum.

Adopticum involves the companies all the way, in all stages, so that when the project is finished, the company can continue to work towards a finished solution. However, commitment is required. There is a list of criteria that the companies must live up to, and the ambition must be to take the solution all the way to market. To be able to provide complete support, Adopticum has a close dialogue with other innovation-supporting actors who can be helpful with different types of competence for the companies.

Gender Equality is Always in Focus

Adopticum has worked in a structured way with gender equality since 2016 and was nominated for the Swedish Equality Award 2022. In projects financed by structural funds, the horizontal criteria require that gender equality be woven into the work packages and in the OMIN project the structuring work began.

- So that it wouldn't be a sparkler, something very short-lived, we educated the steering group in gender equality, says Maria and continues, it is important that they have a gender equality focus throughout the project and act as a stakeholder for gender equality work.

To ensure a long-term strategy regarding gender equality, a regulation was drawn up, a requirement specification for how the steering group should work and working methods that actors can adopt in their own organization. Everyone in the project group is educated in gender equality and clear measurable goals are set. Adopticum calls the measurable equality goals 50/50/50, which means:

- Half of the companies that Adopticum works with in pre-study and prototype projects must be wholly or partially owned by women.

- Half of the development resources in the pre-study and prototype projects must go to companies that are wholly or partially owned by women.

- Half of the pre-study and prototype projects must have one or more women in the project group.

By working structured to reach 50/50/50, Adopticum can contribute to an equal distribution of innovation resources and promote female-driven innovation.

- We are constantly trying to influence and contribute to greater equality in different ways, says Kenth.

Success Factor

Adopticum has contributed to more companies using optical measurement technology to develop products that have since been marketed and also have potential on an international market. Some examples are The Fit, which uses optical measuring technology to ensure the correct clothing size when ordering online, which contributes to reduced returns. Linnovation uses optical measurement technology to predict ice formation in wind farms and thus be able to optimize production. Xore uses optical measurement technology for size distribution of the ore on conveyor belts to optimize the mill.

Companies testify that it is thanks to Adopticum that they have grown and have the most competitive products on the market.

- We see that our requirements for companies that receive support through our projects have developed over time and today we work with companies that have great potential to reach all the way to market. They have more elaborate ideas, which makes it easier for them to attract venture capital for their venture, says Kenth.

Including everyone, regardless of prior technical knowledge, and working in a structured manner with equality and equality paves the way for new innovative solutions, solutions that contribute to increased competitiveness for companies in northern Sweden and give rise to new sustainable products and services.