A leader within Japan and Asia’s photonics industry for 40 years, optical and optomechanical component manufacturer, Sigma Koki Group established a presence in France in 2014.
“As the director of the International Division in Japan, we saw an opportunity to sell to the European market and be in closer proximity to our customers,” said Guy Ear, president and chief executive officer of OptoSigma Europe and North America. “So I was tasked with opening our office in France in order to expand our European sales network.”
The company has since grown between 40 to 50 percent year on year and offers over 20,000 components to European laboratories and leading industrial companies. OptoSigma Europe’s French customer-base includes Thales, Safran, Observatoire de Paris and the French National Center for Scientific Research.
“We are particularly strong in the astronomy and medical sectors, especially in ophthalmology and our optimized ‘e-commerce’ platform facilitates fast-delivery to all our customers,” said Ear.
The company’s component- parts business represents 50 percent of sales with the other half centered on customization solutions. “Globally, we have six factories and design centers to assist all our customers with their optics and in opto-mechanics customized requirements,” said Ear.
As OptoSigma Europe celebrates its fifth anniversary next year, Ear wants to become Europe’s supplier of choice for optical and opto-mechanical components.
“Most of our products were created for Japanese researchers, and to achieve our targets in Europe, we need to establish a research and development center in France,” said Ear.
“To help our customers accelerate their work, we also want the ability to assemble ‘sub-systems’ as an added-value service. I am happy Sigma Koki entrusted me to establish the business here as we have successfully contributed to the expansion of our group’s global business. With demand in Europe and the United States increasing, our facilities in Japan are operating at close to 100 percent capacity and we look forward to further developing our capabilities, global sales and reputation as an industry leader.”
