FARO: Constantly Gearing Up For High-Precision Processes

FAROs over 20,000 successful installations have made it popular among its 10,000 global clients but it is undoubtedly its best-selling portable measurement arm that has kept FARO Technologies, Inc. a leader among industries that require precision work.For over 25 years now, FARO has aimed to provide a dynamic and collaborative relationship among those who device and use measurement technologies. It has helped create and brought to the field new innovations by understanding how these measurement technologies are used by its customers, making FARO a leader in the Computer-Aided Measurement profession.FARO actually started in 1981 when a friendship was formed between Simon Raab and Greg Fraser while they were working on their biomedical engineering PhDs at Montreals McGill University. It was not recognized as FARO then, but Res-Tech. The name-change came after two years, when Raab and Fraser started to develop advanced surgical and diagnostic methods-supporting technology and software. The initial measurement technology embodied in the articulated-arm was first introduced by FARO in 1984, followed by other models in the years of 1986 and 1988.FARO is known for creating close interaction with their technologys users. This is attributed to the time invested by FAROs founders in hospitals and in trade shows where they demonstrated their inventions. During that period, the company has introduced several patents, some of which are neurosurgery equipment that have been licensed to Medtonic.Today, FARO is known for the development of software, imaging devices and computer-helped coordinate measurements which the company also markets. Among FAROs best-selling measurement arms are the CAM2, Gage, Laser Scanner, Laser ScanArm, Laser Track ION and the FaroArm. These technologies have ISO-17025 and ISO-9001 certifications.While FARO portable equipment products seem somewhat technical, they are actually very commonplace and are used almost everywhere from production planning, assemblies and also 3D documentation.It will come as a surprise but police investigators get a lot of help from FARO equipment when reconstructing crime scenes and accident sites. The arm measurement also let the present and the future generations to learn more regarding the past because they are used in generating these historical sites digital scans.FAROs start into the digital imaging business was in reality influenced by the changing needs of the field of medical technology which saw the company moving from to Florida in 1990. The people running the company realized the similarities between 3D imaging in the medical field to CAD in manufacturing.The measurement arms were unsurprisingly being used by FAROs medical clients back then and the only thing required was to transform the arms to the new market which is exactly what they did in 1994.FAROs Europe expansion in 1996 was followed by an IPO in 1997 which allowed the trading of the company on the Nasdaq. It then acquired software company CATS and never looked back since. Technically, the acquisition prepared the way for new innovations and an entire new industry for FARO to conquer including the opening of new offices in Asia.Along with the growth of FARO came the empowerment of its employees and the other parties it dealt with along the way. FARO continues to look into newer horizons and proof of that is its acquisition of the German company iQvolution AG which has opened up new markets in the field of Forensics, Architecture, Heritage, Geology and Mining.Today, FARO is regarded as one of the most remarkable in the world not just because it is worth over $150 million but because of its role in the growth of global companies as well including Honda, General Motors, Boeing and Caterpillar among others.For FARO, it is impossible to look back, only forward.