Keyence America
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Factory automation |
| Founded | 1985 |
| Headquarters | Itasca, Illinois, United States |
| Products | Sensors, machine vision systems, measurement instruments, barcode readers, laser markers, digital microscopes |
| Parent | Keyence Corporation |
| Website | www |
Keyence Corporation of America is an American factory automation equipment company headquartered in Itasca, Illinois, in DuPage County. It is the United States subsidiary of Keyence Corporation, a Japanese manufacturer of automation sensors, vision systems, and measurement instruments. The company was incorporated in 1985 and sells sensors, measurement systems, machine vision systems, barcode readers, laser markers, and digital microscopes.[1][2] Industry trade publications including Quality Magazine, Control Engineering, and Vision Systems Design have covered the company's products and technology over multiple decades.[3][4]
Keyence Corporation of America was incorporated in 1985 as a U.S. subsidiary of Keyence Corporation (then known as Lead Electric Co., Ltd.) of Osaka, Japan.[2][5]
In 2010, the company's VHX-1000 digital microscope received the R&D 100 Award.[6][7] The VHX-1000 also received the Laboratory Equipment Readers' Choice Award in 2010 and was named a finalist for the Best of West Award at SEMICON West 2010.[6] In the same year, Quality Magazine published an in-depth product report on Keyence's IM-6000 Series inspection system that included an interview with Michael Montgomery, then assistant technical marketing manager of advanced solution technology at Keyence Corp.[3]
In 2015, the company's LumiTrax machine vision lighting technology, used in its XG and CV-X vision systems, received a Gold-level honor in the Vision Systems Design 2015 Innovators Awards program.[8][9]
In 2020, the VHX-7000 digital microscope, which the company describes as the world's first 4K digital microscope, received the R&D 100 Award in the Analytical/Test category.[10]
Operations and expansion
Keyence Corporation of America's head office is located at 500 Park Boulevard in Itasca, Illinois, with an administrative office in Elmwood Park, New Jersey.[11] The company operates approximately 40 local offices across the United States.[11]
In June 2016, Keyence signed an 11-year lease for approximately 70,395 square feet of office space at 500 Park Boulevard in Itasca, with Hamilton Partners and Long Wharf Real Estate Partners as landlords, according to CoStar News; the article's headline rounds the figure to 70,000 square feet.[12] In November 2016, the Village of Itasca approved a sign variance for the headquarters at the same address.[13]
In November 2019, Keyence signed an additional industrial lease for 80,849 square feet at Building II in Bridge Point Itasca, becoming the first tenant of the 741,621-square-foot industrial campus developed by Bridge Development Partners.[2][14] In August 2020, the Village of Itasca's Community Development Department approved a zoning certificate for an approximately 81,000-square-foot warehouse and storage facility at 1050 W. Devon Avenue.[15]
Products and services
The company provides factory automation equipment across several product categories, including sensors (proximity, fiber, laser, and displacement sensors), machine vision systems, measurement instruments (including digital microscopes and coordinate measuring machines), safety equipment, barcode readers, handheld terminals, marking equipment (laser markers and industrial inkjet printers), and programmable logic controllers.[1][4]
The products are used in industries including automotive, electronics, semiconductors, pharmaceuticals, food and beverage, logistics, and metals.[16][3]
Business model
According to an analysis by Hennessy Funds, Keyence uses a direct-sales approach in which sales engineers visit customers on-site rather than selling through distributors.[17] CoStar News described Keyence Corp. as "a direct sales organization" in connection with its 2016 Itasca lease.[12]
In a 2010 Quality Magazine article on the IM-6000 measurement system, Michael Montgomery, then assistant technical marketing manager of advanced solution technology at Keyence Corp., explained that the company's quality and measurement product lines were designed to bridge production-line measurement and laboratory-based digital microscopy.[3]
Industry coverage
Keyence Corporation of America has received continuous coverage in U.S. industry trade publications across multiple decades. Quality Magazine has published product reports including a 2010 in-depth article on the IM-6000 Series and a 2015 article on the IM-Series instant measurement system.[3][16] Control Engineering has covered the company's vision systems including the CV-5000.[4] Vision Systems Design covered the company's 2015 Innovators Award.[8][9] Automation World maintains a company profile with product and operations details.[1]
Litigation
Keyence Corporation of America has been named as a party in U.S. federal court proceedings:
| Year | Court | Case | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | D. Minn. | Sick A.G. et al v. Keyence Corporation et al, 0:11-cv-00233 | Patent infringement (filed)[18] |
| 2022 | S.D. Ind. | Spencer v. Keyence Corporation of America et al, 1:20-cv-02001 | Court granted defendants' motion for summary judgment[19] |
| 2024 | E.D. Tex. | AI-Core Technologies, LLC v. Keyence Corporation of America, 2:24-cv-00438 | Patent infringement (filed)[20] |