Cognex Machine Vision Chosen by World's Largest Steel Producer

NATICK, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 5, 2002--Cognex Corporation, the world's leading supplier of machine vision systems, announced today that Sidmar N.V., part of the Arcelor Group which is the world's largest steel producer, has integrated the SmartView(R) Metals surface inspection system for use on a Continuous Annealing Processing Line (CAPL) at their manufacturing facility in Gent, Belgium.

Sidmar chose the Cognex solution after testing two SmartView trial systems on other lines. Only a few short weeks after implementing the trial units, Sidmar purchased a full system. They also decided to continue performing tests on additional production lines.

"Using the SmartView Metals system has allowed us the opportunity to better trace quality problems in the production chain," said a Sidmar spokesman. "And, as the SmartView system inspects more strip surface, we are significantly reducing the risk of sending coils with defects to customers."

"The SmartView Metals surface inspection system enables steel producers like Sidmar to make higher quality steel at a lower overall operating cost" said Markku Jaaskelainen, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Cognex's Surface Inspection Systems Division.

"And, Cognex's extensive experience in surface inspection ensures that users get results immediately after the start-up of the SmartView system."

The SmartView Metals system is a state-of-the-art surface inspection system that allows manufacturers to automatically detect, identify, and visualize defects in steel, aluminum, copper and other metal surfaces as they are being produced. Cognex also makes SmartView web inspection systems that inspect paper, nonwovens, and plastic film and sheet. Cognex has sold over 150 SmartView inspection systems since its release in February 2000, making it the most successful product launch in the history of Cognex's Surface Inspection Systems Division.

Sidmar is part of the Arcelor Group's flat steel products sector. Sidmar's products are used mainly in the automotive industry and other sectors requiring a high level of quality, including the white goods, furniture and metallic shelving, radiator, drum, pipe, and construction industries.

Cognex Corporation designs, develops, manufactures, and markets machine vision systems, or computers that can "see." Cognex is the world's leader in the machine vision industry, having shipped more than 150,000 machine vision systems, representing over $1 billion in cumulative revenue, since the company's founding in 1981. Cognex's Surface Inspection Systems Division, headquartered in Alameda, California, specializes in machine vision systems that are used for inspecting the surfaces of products that are manufactured in a continuous fashion, such as metals, paper, nonwovens, and plastics. Cognex's Modular Vision Systems Division, headquartered in Natick, Massachusetts, specializes in machine vision systems that are used for automating the manufacture of a wide range of discrete items and for assuring their quality. In addition to its corporate headquarters in Natick, Massachusetts, Cognex also has regional offices located throughout North America, Japan, Europe, and Southeast Asia. Visit Cognex on-line at http://www.cognex.com.

Contact Information:
Cognex Corporation
Pamela Sotir Beaudet, 508/650-3000 ext. 3218

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