Navitar, Inc., a global leader in optical technology, reports growth in revenue and bookings as they continue to expand their client-base and product offerings within the biotechnology and life sciences markets.
Overall company sales have grown 25% over the last 5 years, with international business accounting for as much as 50% of total revenues.
Navitar, Inc is a leading supplier of standard and custom engineered optics, opto-mechanical sub-assemblies and opto-electronic system solutions for Medical & Biotechnology, Defense & Security, Military & Government, Semiconductor, Industrial Imaging, and Digital Projection. The company attributes its growth to entry into new markets, expansion of custom optic design and manufacturing capabilities and continual evolution of their product offerings.
Navitar’s purchase of New Jersey-based Special Optics in 2008 led to major expansion of their custom optical design and rapid prototyping capabilities. “We have seen tremendous growth in all areas of our business, with the largest percentage being our custom optics division with revenues up 60% from 2008,” comments Jeremy Goldstein, Co-president of Navitar. “Over the years we have expanded our presence beyond the industrial imaging and projection markets into new emerging markets such as biomedical, life sciences and defense & homeland security. These markets are looking for sophisticated, high-performance custom optical solutions for applications that demand the finest optical surfaces, highest accuracy and tightest tolerances – and we consistently deliver breakthrough solutions.”
New biotechnology, life science, and medical customers are utilizing Navitar lenses for in vitro and stem cell imaging, laser flow cytometry, ophthalmologic laser eye surgery, protein crystal imaging and DNA sequencing applications. This segment of the business has grown 30% year on year since 2005.
Long range surveillance lenses, hyperspectral imaging optics, and high resolution lenses for unmanned vehicles and aerial imaging applications are in high demand for use in advanced military, surveillance and homeland security systems. Navitar is also seeing an increased demand for high NA objectives, which are used in quantum atom research. The company’s new 180°/360° HemiStar® fisheye projection lenses are being sought out for planetariums, immersive displays and spherical shaped digital signage applications.
Navitar’s recent acquisition of Long Island-based Modulation Optics and its Hoffman Modulation Contrast® (HMC) technology in May of this year was a substantial commitment to expand their biomedical capabilities with live cell imaging optics. “With the HMC technology it is possible to image active events in living cells with clear, high resolution microscopic images and enhanced sharpness and definition,” comments Julian Goldstein, Co-President of Navitar. “The combination of Modulation Optics and Navitar enables our customers to get the ultimate solution for advanced imaging methods in live cell research, which will lead to the development of innovative new equipment for the life sciences industry.”
Navitar has, of course, experienced the ebbs and flows of the economy, yet has remained a key player in the optics industry for over 35 years. “Recent acquisitions have certainly contributed to our growth,” comments Jeremy Goldstein, “however, the key to our success is the combination of our inventive optical design and assembly team with highly efficient production systems allowing us to make demanding, high precision optical and electro-optical systems. We have become an invaluable resource for our customers in many new industries whose applications help them stay on the leading edge of tomorrow’s technology today.”
By expanding and combining the capabilities of the New Jersey manufacturing facility with Navitar’s well-established facility and headquarters in Rochester, New York, the company can increase production levels to meet current demand and future anticipated growth. To handle the increase in custom design work, continuous improvement of their commercially available products, and new product development, Navitar recently expanded their engineering department, in both the optical and mechanical areas. In addition, Navitar purchased new equipment to enhance testing and measurement capabilities at both manufacturing facilities.