Ground-breaking ceremony for the new headquarters of ISRA VISION AG in Darmstadt. (From left, CFO Martin Heinrich, mayor Jochen Partsch, company founder Enis Ersü, CEO Tomas Lundin, architect Gregor Kahlau)

More than three decades ago, ISRA VISION was founded as a spin-off of TU Darmstadt and developed into a world-leading machine vision technology company in the subsequent years. The founder and CEO of ISRA VISION, Enis Ersü, stepped back from active professional life at the end of June 2021. As part of the company’s succession planning, ISRA VISION entered into a strategic partnership with the Swedish industrial group Atlas Copco, forming the heart of the new Machine Vision Solutions division. With a strong new management team, the foundations are now being laid for the successful future development of the company.

ISRA VISION AG is marking the dawn of a new era of growth with a traditional groundbreaking ceremony to mark the start of construction of its new headquarters building in Darmstadt, Germany. The new headquarters is located on a property measuring around 15,000 square meters in the city’s “Knell” development district with its historic water tower at Frankfurter Straße. Set to be constructed in two stages, it will consist of three connected buildings housing offices and development laboratories, as well as demonstration and assembly halls.

The project was designed by the local architecture firm fs Architekten. It will give ISRA VISION the space it needs for future development and a constantly growing workforce. Designed to the latest energy standards, the building will grow over time and will offer space for around 960 employees once fully constructed.

As construction begins, the company owes special thanks to the mayor of Darmstadt Jochen Partsch and the City of Darmstadt, who provided excellent support in the search for a suitable location. The plans for the new headquarters were put in place several years ago by company founder Enis Ersü, who recently retired from active professional life. In 2020, the globally active Atlas Copco group joined forces with ISRA VISION as a strategic partner, while also remaining committed to the plans for the new headquarters. The preliminary work was done with the help of Felix Schneider from Gerhard.Architekten in Darmstadt and Horst Ulrich Werb on behalf of Schindler & Werb AG, allowing the foundation stone of the new building to be placed together with the planners and tradespeople involved in the project.
 
ISRA VISION’s new Chairman of the Executive Management Team, Tomas Lundin, was joined for the ceremony by company founder Enis Ersü, Chief Financial Officer Martin Heinrich and Mayor of Darmstadt Jochen Partsch. The start of construction of the new headquarters represents not only the beginning of a new chapter in the company’s history, but is also a sign of its dedication to the city and the local area. ISRA VISION was formed in 1985 as a spin-off of the Technical University of Darmstadt. Together with its subsidiaries, ISRA VISION AG has grown to become the world leader in surface inspection of web materials. It is also one of the world’s leading providers of image processing (machine vision), specializing in 3D machine vision, especially for 3D robot vision. With its new strategic partner Atlas Copco, the ambitious company has big plans. The groundbreaking ceremony is therefore also the start of a promising and successful future.

Despite its status as a global player, ISRA feels right at home in Darmstadt. The company has maintained close relations with the Technical University and the Darmstadt University of Applied Sciences, along with other research institutions like the Fraunhofer Institute. The start of construction also helps ISRA VISION position itself as an employer with an exciting future in the region, creating the best conditions to promote young talent. The new site is set to create countless new jobs, with the company looking for both fully trained specialists and talented youngsters in particular. Alongside this, consideration is also being given to providing a home and space to develop for start-ups that represent a good technological match for ISRA VISION at the premises.

For staff, the building will provide an inspiring work environment that is in harmony with the company’s values and responds to ecological challenges. Designed with environmental protection in mind, the headquarters will be built in line with the Effizienzhaus 55 standards (an energy standard for buildings, introduced by KfW). It will also feature a high proportion of green spaces and charging facilities for electric vehicles and bicycles, and will be constructed using clean, low-noise methods. The completion of the first construction section and moving in to the new headquarters are planned for the turn of the year 2022 / 2023.