Mainebiz

W W W. M A I N E B I Z . B I Z 19 M A R C H 8 , 2 0 2 1 F O C U S M A N U FA C T U R I N G When developing new products, design parameters include magnifica- tion, illumination, imaging frequency, flow rates and size of the glass channel that's appropriate for specific samples, he explains. ere's the nature of the sample — is it toxic, hot, pressurized? Software specifications might need to account for contrast between particles and the medium they're in. "Are you looking at, say, a translucent particle in drinking water? You need to have software specifications that can pick out that image," he says. e company sources components from other companies and assembles them at its Scarborough facility, where it also writes the computer programs that analyze the samples. "We keep an eye on other tech- nologies to incorporate into ours," says Peterson. "We're almost blessed because our components are sourced from other companies, and that's their core competency. So we cherry-pick the best, the newest, the smallest, the fastest of the cameras or microscope objectives or lasers. While they're improving their products, we're the beneficiaries, incor- porating it into the FlowCam and mak- ing the FlowCam a better product." Pandemic effect e FlowCam is being used to develop COVID-19 vaccines at Pfizer, Moderna and other pharmaceutical companies, says Peterson. "e FlowCam is used in part in that development process," he says. "It's also used in the development of therapeutic drugs for treatment. And we're supply- ing instruments to companies making PCR [diagnostic] tests for COVID." As a result, 2020 resulted in the com- pany's strongest year. Expected for 2021 is continued growth and a planned 50% workforce increase, from 30 employees now to 45 by the end of the year. Faced with aggressive product devel- opment schedules due to the health emergency, Gray Optics also grew, dou- bling its staff in 2020. Now it's planning for continued growth in staff and facility space in 2021. "We are forecasting further growth in the company and making plans to con- tinue to hire local talent and planning investments to expand our manufactur- ing to support the needs of our custom- ers," says Gray. Lighthouse Imaging, too, has seen increased demand for the medical imag- ing devices it designs and manufactures, such as those used in airway manage- ment. Snyder notes that the pandemic also highlighted the risk of cross-con- tamination between patients, resulting in greater demand for single-use devices. "Our growing team here has shown great dedication and pride in support- ing COVID patients around the world," says Snyder. Hot industry Leiner predicts further growth in the field in Maine. "It's a pretty hot industry," he says. "I wouldn't be surprised to see people mov- ing to Maine to start their own company." At the same time, he adds, being part of a niche field is pretty special. "We all know each other in Maine and even across the country and around the world," says Leiner. "One takeaway I have about visualization companies in Maine is how collegial it is. It's the opposite of cutthroat, which is very nice. It's typical Maine." L a u r i e S c h r e i b e r , M a i n e b i z s e n i o r w r i t e r , c a n b e r e a c h e d a t l s c h r e i b e r @ m a i n e b i z . b i z You can see potential risk all the way down the line. You've worked hard to develop a consistent operating process. An unforeseen interruption means costly consequences. You need an insurance company that understands that. Not just from an insurer's perspective, but from yours. At Acadia Insurance, we have dedicated local claims and underwriting specialists ready to provide the high-quality hands-on service that creates insurance solutions tailored to meet your needs. AC A D I A I N S U R A N C E I S A L O C A L R E G I O N A L P R O P E RT Y A N D C A S U A LT Y I N S U R E R D E D I C AT E D T O S E RV I N G L O C A L B U S I N E S S E S A N D C O M M U N I T I E S . F O R M O R E I N F O R M AT I O N A B O U T W O R K I N G W I T H A C A D I A I N S U R A N C E , V I S I T U S O N L I N E : AC A D I A I N S U R A N C E . C O M R E N D E R I N G / C O U R T E S Y Y O K O G AWA F L U I D I M A G I N G T E C H N O L O G I E S This rendering shows components that go into Yokogawa Fluid Imaging Technologies' FlowCam technology.

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