At the beginning of the year, FRAMOS introduced the next generation of embedded optical image sensor modules that simplify the development of vision systems – the FSM:GO.
The FSM:GO represents a significant innovation in the field of optical sensor modules, showcasing the power of collaboration, commitment, and expertise. This success story is not just about technical achievements, but also about the people behind the scenes who made it all possible. From developing the idea to overcoming challenges and celebrating triumphs, FSM:GO’s journey showcases the human side of innovation.
Beginning of the journey
Journey of FSM:GO began at Embedded World 2023, where Ugur Kilic, Director of Market Strategy & Business Development at FRAMOS, and Dr. Frederik Schönebeck, Director of Growth at FRAMOS, came up with some hypotheses they wanted to test and collected a variety of data. Together with their previous experience with customer-specific solutions and conversations with Andreas Franz, Chief Executive Officer at FRAMOS, they agreed on the product concept and got it off the ground.
Expert Contributions
A lot of different FRAMOS experts contributed to the journey of the FSM:GO. André Brela, Product Manager of the FSM:GO reflected on the insights gained from over five years of product evolution within the FRAMOS Sensor Module Ecosystem: “The journey to developing custom optical sensor modules is faced with complexities—from selecting the right sensor and lens to navigating compatibility issues and managing consistent product performance. These challenges often deter vision system developers and production engineers. Drawing from our deep-seated experience, we have embedded our customers’ fundamental requirements into FSM:GO – a practical, readily deployable solution. “
Other key contributors included Nathan Dinning, Head of Product Management; Ugur Kilic, Director, Market Strategy & Business Development; David Kallenbach, Head of Technical Solutions & Support; Miljenko Kraljić, Software Development Manager; Karlo Poljanec, Software Development Manager; Maja Kokolari, Marketing Director; Christian Heimann, Global Sales Director and Markus Walluschnig, Director Supply Chain & Production.
Development challenges
In any development journey, expert teams always face numerous challenges. During the development of FSM:GO, putting the teams together was the biggest challenge they had to face, as almost everyone at FRAMOS had touchpoints with this new product line.
Since FRAMOS is a global company with talent spread across the world, it was a challenge to juggle between all the time zones where our experts are located. The production in Croatia, the product management team in Germany and Canada, the business development team in Germany, and several experts from other parts of the world. Despite all these difficulties, it was impressive to see how quickly FRAMOS has grown as a company with the FSM:GO project.
The “Glue issue”
This learning curve was also filled with anecdotes and one of which was the “the glue issue”. The glue used in their precision-focusing process, previously well-known and qualified, suddenly changed its characteristics and became unusable for their requirements. Since optical performance is a key value proposition of FSM:GO, the entire development process was affected, and new options needed to be investigated.
With great dedication and team effort, they were finally able to onboard new options, and as a side result, generated so many insights into glue properties and how they impact optical image quality, that now they can deliver even better products and services to their customers than they would have been able to without the “glue issue”.
Winning a mass production
After all, these challenges’ first big triumph was achieved, and that was winning a mass-production deal at a stage where the product was still in prototyping.
This success resulted from collaborative efforts that shaped the FSM:GO, as this would not have been possible without constantly adhering to company values “team spirit”. In their “New Product Introduction” the entire company needed to pull in the same direction. It was not always easy to succeed on the first try, but with “fail forward” in mind the teams continuously pushed further. Now, the development of FSM:GO is internally considered as a reference example for structurally improving FRAMOS’s internal processes.
Expert Reflections
Dr. Frederik Schönebeck, Director of Growth shared his experience with the development of FSM:GO: “I was thrilled to see how excited people were in the beginning about the new product idea and how everybody said: “This makes so much sense”. There was lots of good energy and passion, which was needed to carry us through the months to come, which were very labor- and time-intensive. “
Dr. Schönebeck takes pride in the FSM:GO project not because he considers it to be “his product”, but because he sees how it helps to grow the company in the right direction. At the same time, he feels very personally connected to it, as FSM:GO incorporates so many lessons generated from previous custom projects he was responsible for over many years.
Value of the FSM:GO
For many years FRAMOS has supported customers in the entire development process from concept to mass production with the FRAMOS Ecosystem. From concept, component selection and guidance, matching the products with customer requirements, and initial integration into the imaging application.
With the launch of the FSM:GO and its addition to the Ecosystem FRAMOS went one step further by offering a curated selection of pre-selected sensors paired with optimally focused lenses. This delivers superior off-the-shelf image quality, simplifying the embedded vision development process and making it both cost-effective and time efficient.
FSM:GO is not only a versatile prototyping tool but also stands ready for immediate deployment in mass production. It alleviates the challenges of developing and manufacturing optical sensor modules, enabling clients to concentrate on device design and software development.
Suitable for a broad spectrum of applications, FSM:GO can be deployed across many industries, including sports and security, as well as enhances the capabilities of conferencing cameras, drones, smart traffic systems, industrial automation, surveying, mapping, and logistics.
Key achievement of the FSM:GO
Throughout the entire FSM:GO project, all participating teams were very dedicated and engaged. “Looking back, I can see that the development of FSM:GO not only led to a new product line but also inspired people to experiment with how they do things. There were so many learnings generated along the way, which will shape the way we are operating as a company in the long term.” – says Dr. Frederik Schönebeck, Director of Growth.
