NATICK, Mass., 12 August 2005. Cognex Corp. announced today that it has entered into an agreement with Lockheed Martin to jointly promote products to help Department of Defense contractors meet new government requirements for unique identification of parts.
The Department of Defense Unique Identification (UID) Compliancy Initiative requires that every piece of equipment purchased by the Department of Defense with a value greater than $5,000, or that requires serialization, be marked with a 2D matrix code which clearly distinguishes each individual item from all others.
Cognex is the leading provider of ID readers designed to read and verify 2D Data Matrix codes on a variety of surfaces. Lockheed Martin supplies a flexible and easy to install software application that manages UID-related data, creates a process audit trail, and ensures that the supplier's process meets DoD policy requirements.
Together, Cognex ID reading technology and Lockheed Martin's I-GUIDES data management application provide DoD contractors with a total, cost effective solution to meet DoD identification requirements.
"This agreement enables Cognex and Lockheed Martin to approach customers with a simple-to-adopt solution for meeting Department of Defense compliancy requirements. As a result, customers can get state-of-the-art technology, and avoid the cost of reinventing the process internally," said Justin Testa, senior vice president of ID Products for Cognex.
Richard Erickson, program manager for I-GUIDES at Lockheed Martin Maritime System & Sensors' Tactical Systems line of business, said, "UID compliancy requirements represent a big change for Defense Department suppliers, and this agreement can make those changes easier for suppliers and accelerate the success of the Defense Department's UID program."
"This agreement gives us a key relationship with a world leader in machine vision systems, vision sensors, and ID readers. It also gives us access to vision technology that will keep us on the cutting edge of developments in Data Matrix technology as it relates to UID Compliancy," Erickson said.
Headquartered in Bethesda, Md., Lockheed Martin employs about 130,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture and integration of advanced technology systems, products and services.
Cognex Corp. 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 250,000 machine vision systems, representing over $1.8 billion in cumulative revenue, since the company's founding in 1981.
Cognex's Modular Vision Systems Division, headquartered in Natick, Mass., specializes in machine vision systems which are used for automating the manufacture of a wide range of discrete items and for assuring their quality.
Cognex's Surface Inspection Systems Division, headquartered in Alameda, Calif., specializes in machine vision systems which are used for inspecting the surfaces of products manufactured in a continuous fashion, such as metals, papers, and plastics. In addition to its corporate headquarters in Natick, Mass., Cognex also has regional offices and distributors located throughout North America, Japan, Europe, and Southeast Asia. For more information, see www.cognex.com.
