As the age of electronic communication continues with email, texting and twittering we don't get the opportunity to listen to each other. Yes we can all respond in a timely manner and supply good customer service. How is customer service really defined? Is it the ability to service a single request that has been asked of you? Or is to satisfy the current request and educate your customer on there options as well as listen to what the customer’s needs are and offer solutions.
I recently have been lucky enough to be on the positive side of a customer service challenge.
After receiving an urgent request through 1 of our websites in which a customer needed to have a camera ordered and delivered next day which was Saturday. The customer had recently had a not so positive experience with a company that responded to him and made promises that were not achieved.
It was 4:30 on Friday and the customer supplied me with a credit card and begged me to promise a Saturday delivery. After checking with our Operation Manager it was possible to get the unit packed up and shipped, the downside is the cost involved in next day Saturday delivery. We were able to ask a relative who was traveling to the area to bring the unit to me that evening and I delivered the package the next day. The customer was very appreciative and expressed his confidence in our company and the ability to help him. We will continue to supply him with products in the future and have established a trust and confidence with the customer and the start of a long term partnership.
The ability to listen and understand a customer’s request cannot be replaced by a quick email or text.
We must take the time to listen and reply with an educated and timely response!
.
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Friday, September 17, 2010
New Sony Block Cameras
As Sony continues to be the leader in the unique category of block cameras (FCB Modules) we find them introducing their latest models. These specialized camera units have found there way into various applications including pipe inspection, ITS and remote surveillance, These are just a few of the industries that have found ways to take advantage of the cameras.
You must imagine taking your video camcorder and removing the LCD, enclosure, battery and tape (if you have an older model). After industrializing the camera and adding the ability to communicate over a serial connection you have a very compact camera with optical zoom capability.
The new series will be add the latest features that have been requested from various industries.
Some of the models include extended temperature range which some military applications require.
A temperature sensor with feed back to monitor changes in the cameras temperature.
A new drive system for the camera lens which increases MTBF data and faster response.
There are many additional new features that are available as well.
In addition Sony will be releasing a new HD camera with 1080p output and a 20x optical zoom.
All of these new features will allow Sony to continue to be the leader in block cameras.
If anyone has additional questions please feel free to contact me.
You must imagine taking your video camcorder and removing the LCD, enclosure, battery and tape (if you have an older model). After industrializing the camera and adding the ability to communicate over a serial connection you have a very compact camera with optical zoom capability.
The new series will be add the latest features that have been requested from various industries.
Some of the models include extended temperature range which some military applications require.
A temperature sensor with feed back to monitor changes in the cameras temperature.
A new drive system for the camera lens which increases MTBF data and faster response.
There are many additional new features that are available as well.
In addition Sony will be releasing a new HD camera with 1080p output and a 20x optical zoom.
All of these new features will allow Sony to continue to be the leader in block cameras.
Thursday, September 2, 2010
AUVSI 2010 Denver
After spending several days attending the AUVSI North America Conference it is apparent that this industry continues to grow. The exhibitor’s hall appeared to be twice the size of the 2009 Conference in Washington DC. The amount of new exhibitors and products continues to grow from year to year as well as the various designs for new air, ground and water based systems. This year they had several locations within the exhibitors hall that were dedicated to allowing many of the exhibitors to demonstrate their vehicles for the attendees at scheduled specific times throughout the conference. If you have a chance to attend this event in the future I would suggest it.
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
2010 AUVSI Conference
As summer comes to a close I am looking forward to attending this years North American AUVSI Conference. Last years conference in Washington D.C. was excellent. This years event is expected to be larger and the attendance should be larger as well. Denver was chosen due to its close vicinity to the UAV testing facility. I am expecting to see many smaller man deployable units. With the decrease in size of many cameras and the increase of resolution I believe we will be seeing requirements for 5MP and greater resolutions. I will supply a report after the conference is complete.
Friday, April 16, 2010
2010 SPIE Show
I recently had the opportunity to spend a few days at the annual SPIE show in Orlando, FL.
After spending time walking the larger then normal show, I realized that this year there were more exhibitors then I have seen since first attending this show 5 years ago. It appears that these vendors felt the increase in activity in their business and thought it was important to attend this show. Also this is a sector where our government is still spending money for Homeland Security and the Military.
It was noticeable that each year more machine vision camera Manufacturers are attending. This year there was the most that I had experienced, trying to understand how their products could potentially fit into this arena. If they were not exhibiting products in a booth they were walking the show looking for opportunities.
I did take note of the quantity of people attending the show looking for solutions and the latest products.
This year I felt the attendance was down, but the people who did attend were there for a purpose and were looking for specific solutions. In years past there was a great deal of international attendees from around the globe. This year I did not see the same melting pot as years past.
There were some unique camera products including a camera that can see through dust, fog and smoke. Also a saw a camera with 3 individual sensors which could be mounted to see multiple directions at once, with a single camera body. There were many IR and Thermal solutions as well.
I was glad I attended and will continue to attend this show in the future.
I will visiting the ITS show in Houston next.
After spending time walking the larger then normal show, I realized that this year there were more exhibitors then I have seen since first attending this show 5 years ago. It appears that these vendors felt the increase in activity in their business and thought it was important to attend this show. Also this is a sector where our government is still spending money for Homeland Security and the Military.
It was noticeable that each year more machine vision camera Manufacturers are attending. This year there was the most that I had experienced, trying to understand how their products could potentially fit into this arena. If they were not exhibiting products in a booth they were walking the show looking for opportunities.
I did take note of the quantity of people attending the show looking for solutions and the latest products.
This year I felt the attendance was down, but the people who did attend were there for a purpose and were looking for specific solutions. In years past there was a great deal of international attendees from around the globe. This year I did not see the same melting pot as years past.
There were some unique camera products including a camera that can see through dust, fog and smoke. Also a saw a camera with 3 individual sensors which could be mounted to see multiple directions at once, with a single camera body. There were many IR and Thermal solutions as well.
I was glad I attended and will continue to attend this show in the future.
I will visiting the ITS show in Houston next.
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Multi Spectral Imaging
As machine vision applications continue to grow and the requirements become more rigorous, we find ourselves looking for new solutions. I recently attended a training on Multi CCD camera solutions.
There are companies such as JAI that are now offering solutions with multiple sensors in a single package.
By having dual sensors you can accomplish such things as wide dynamic range, extended spectral response in either the UV or NIR range. In addition filters such as Polarizer's and Band Pass can be placed in the optical path or on the prism itself.
Here is an example of HDR mode (high dynamic range) – by adjusting the exposure separately for the two imagers it is possible to resolve +16 bit by image fusion with good precision dependent on the brightness of the image.
This is just one example of how Multi Spectral Imaging can be used. Here are some other applications where these cameras are being used in:
Surgery
Furnace Inspection / Flames
Pharmaceutical coatings
There are companies such as JAI that are now offering solutions with multiple sensors in a single package.
By having dual sensors you can accomplish such things as wide dynamic range, extended spectral response in either the UV or NIR range. In addition filters such as Polarizer's and Band Pass can be placed in the optical path or on the prism itself.
Here is an example of HDR mode (high dynamic range) – by adjusting the exposure separately for the two imagers it is possible to resolve +16 bit by image fusion with good precision dependent on the brightness of the image.
This is just one example of how Multi Spectral Imaging can be used. Here are some other applications where these cameras are being used in:
Food/fruit inspection
Surgery
Furnace Inspection / Flames
Pharmaceutical coatings
These are just a few of the applications that have been solved with Multi Spectral, Multi Sensor solutions. I believe that more applications will be solved in the futuwith these type of solutions.
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
New Low Light Hitachi Camera
As the world continues to be a place where our day to day personell security is in jeaporday, and the world is more aware of global events that effect our society, we are driven to find ways of feeling more secure in daily activities.
Due to these situations throughout the world the applications for high end and covert survelliance has increased. From protecting boarders to oil refineries as well as the many airports that are traveled through everyday by millions
These requirements have driven various companies to produce solutions for this market and push the technology boundaries in order to develop solutions to fulfill the requirements being requested from both the military and homeland security.
Hitachi has developed several products that have and are being accepted in these markets. Over the past several years I have been fortunate enough to have worked on several projects that have utilized these products and technologies
There are cameras that utilize EMCCD technology, which allows you to see color images at night in the dark and also act as a standard color VGA camera in daylight. The latest addition to their products is a camera which can actual see color through smoke and fog, The KP-D5000 is a great addition to their products as well as an example of how technology is being pushed to fulfill a requirement being driven by a global change in the world.
Please view the video of both the EMCCD camera and the KP-D5000 being tested in a fog chamber.
Hitachi Fog Demo
Due to these situations throughout the world the applications for high end and covert survelliance has increased. From protecting boarders to oil refineries as well as the many airports that are traveled through everyday by millions
These requirements have driven various companies to produce solutions for this market and push the technology boundaries in order to develop solutions to fulfill the requirements being requested from both the military and homeland security.
Hitachi has developed several products that have and are being accepted in these markets. Over the past several years I have been fortunate enough to have worked on several projects that have utilized these products and technologies
There are cameras that utilize EMCCD technology, which allows you to see color images at night in the dark and also act as a standard color VGA camera in daylight. The latest addition to their products is a camera which can actual see color through smoke and fog, The KP-D5000 is a great addition to their products as well as an example of how technology is being pushed to fulfill a requirement being driven by a global change in the world.
Please view the video of both the EMCCD camera and the KP-D5000 being tested in a fog chamber.
Hitachi Fog Demo
Monday, January 11, 2010
Cables Next Chapter
As the Industrial Imaging Industry continues to push the limitations of what may be considered breaking the laws of physics, we look forward to what the next generation of products will bring us.
As we continue to increase speed and decrease size it appears there is always an application that requires the next level and as if someone already knew this within 6-12 months there is a solution. As these devices are released in the ever expanding market place it is sometimes forgotten that the peripheral support hardware and cables may not be readily available. I have been fortunate enough to work along a group of people who have the remarkable ability to keep up with the evolution of camera interfaces and have cable solutions ready for the market when required. Components Express Inc.(http://www.componentsexpress.com/) has been prepared over the last 5 years for all the new interfaces that have been released, from Mini-Cameralink, PoCL, 1394B, and many variations of GigE cables. The latest is Coaxpress, as this unique high speed interface makes it way to the market once again they will be prepared.
It is quite apparent that cables are not always the main concern when solving an application, but they are a key component in the longevity of a system. If as a supplier you need to continually have to replace cables do to failure you are loosing revenue and time. It makes sense to source a quality cable solution and never have to worry about it. When choosing a cable it is a good idea to ask for test data and to make sure what parameters were used to perform the testing. Sometimes testing for cables is mathematically enhanced by calculating the future based upon a shorter test cycle. I suggest looking for a test data that is real world and has been physically and electrically been tested continually for some period of time, whether it is 5 million cycles or 50 million. There are companies that use specially designed test fixtures to accomplish these test procedures. Take the time to ask the questions and use a quality cable solution.
HS Link
As we continue to increase speed and decrease size it appears there is always an application that requires the next level and as if someone already knew this within 6-12 months there is a solution. As these devices are released in the ever expanding market place it is sometimes forgotten that the peripheral support hardware and cables may not be readily available. I have been fortunate enough to work along a group of people who have the remarkable ability to keep up with the evolution of camera interfaces and have cable solutions ready for the market when required. Components Express Inc.(http://www.componentsexpress.com/) has been prepared over the last 5 years for all the new interfaces that have been released, from Mini-Cameralink, PoCL, 1394B, and many variations of GigE cables. The latest is Coaxpress, as this unique high speed interface makes it way to the market once again they will be prepared.
It is quite apparent that cables are not always the main concern when solving an application, but they are a key component in the longevity of a system. If as a supplier you need to continually have to replace cables do to failure you are loosing revenue and time. It makes sense to source a quality cable solution and never have to worry about it. When choosing a cable it is a good idea to ask for test data and to make sure what parameters were used to perform the testing. Sometimes testing for cables is mathematically enhanced by calculating the future based upon a shorter test cycle. I suggest looking for a test data that is real world and has been physically and electrically been tested continually for some period of time, whether it is 5 million cycles or 50 million. There are companies that use specially designed test fixtures to accomplish these test procedures. Take the time to ask the questions and use a quality cable solution.
HS Link
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