Through the crisis with innovation

Making technology easy to use - this is the credo of industrial camera manufacturer IDS Imaging Development Systems in these challenging times. To this end, the German medium-sized company repeatedly utilizes innovations from the consumer world at an early stage and consistently develops them further for industrial applications. IDS is planning a particularly large number of new products for the current year. In general, companies in the machine vision industry faced several challenges in 2024. According to the VDMA Machine Vision department, a nominal 10 per cent decline in sales was forecast for the German machine vision industry compared to the previous year. No change in trend is expected for 2025 either. This development is mainly attributed to falling demand from the manufacturing industry. Nevertheless, there are opportunities in new sales areas such as logistics, medical technology and intelligent transport systems. IDS is expanding its portfolio accordingly.

"The past year has brought its challenges, but we have used this time to regroup and work on some exciting projects," explains Jan Hartmann - Managing Partner at IDS. Throughout 2025, the company plans to successively launch innovations on the market. The first models of the uEye Live camera series for live streaming, industrial process monitoring and recording video sequences in the camera memory are already available to order. This will be followed by event-based cameras for highly efficient motion analyses. The compact models visualize even extremely fast movements completely loss-free. At the same time, they ensure a significantly reduced amount of data compared to conventional, image-based camera technology - completely new possibilities for industrial and non-industrial applications. IDS will also supplement its 3D portfolio with a time-of-flight camera developed in-house.

Tailor-made solutions
The company also focuses on client-specific developments. Customised special models are created according to individual requirements. The product spectrum ranges from customised designs and special software adaptations to modular solutions based on the building block principle. An experienced engineering team supports customers throughout the entire implementation process.
IDS combines tradition and innovation: Proven values such as the ease of use of the products are just as much a part of the development work as the latest technologies. Investments at the headquarters in Obersulm, such as an in-house EMC measuring cabin, secure the production and development site. The company is also continuously exploring new markets, including India, which is considered a particularly interesting growth market.

Responsibility, innovation and networking
As a family business, the medium-sized company is also committed to its social responsibility and is involved in social and ecological projects in the region over and above its economic interests. This sense of responsibility shapes both the company's actions and its long-term corporate strategy. IDS is also investing in the expansion of a dynamic ecosystem and cooperating closely with start-ups. As a leading industrial camera manufacturer and image processing company, the corporate philosophy is to promote innovation. It makes its technology available for research purposes and new ideas, shares knowledge in working groups and supports educational institutions.

That the headquarters is situated in the AI region Heilbronn offers ideal conditions for this. IDS is part of an up-and-coming community for artificial intelligence and is actively involved in numerous supra-regional partnerships. The company has an extensive network that drives innovation and helps shape the future of image processing, as Jan Hartmann confirms: "There are still uncertainties in the market, but I am confident that with our continued focus on development, innovation and the strength of our great team and partners, we are well equipped for the future."

About IDS Imaging Development Systems GmbH

IDS Imaging Development Systems GmbH is a leading manufacturer of industrial cameras and pioneer in industrial image processing. The owner-managed company develops modular concepts of powerful and versatile USB, GigE and 3D camera as well as models with Artificial Intelligence (AI). The almost unlimited range of applications covers multiple non-industrial and industrial sectors of equipment, plant and mechanical engineering. The AI image processing platform IDS NXT is extremely versatile and opens up new areas of application where classic rule-based image processing reaches its limits. With visionpier, IDS operates an online marketplace that brings together suppliers of ready-made image processing solutions and interested end customers in a targeted manner.

Since its foundation in 1997 as a two-man company, IDS has developed into an independent, ISO and environmentally certified family business with around 350 employees. The headquarters in Obersulm, Germany, is both a development and production site. With branches and representative offices in the USA, Japan, South Korea, the UK, France and the Netherlands, the technology company is also globally represented.