Ruud Bouten has a bachelor's degree in electronics from Fontys University of Applied Sciences and more than 20 years of photonics experience. First working as an Electronic Engineer for Philips Mobile Display Systems and then as CTO and co-founder of Admesy.
Initially, the company worked on developing display testing solutions. But, over the years, the company’s product range has expanded to include spectrometers, colourimeters, light meters and 2D imaging devices.
When asked about the current research projects, Bouten stressed that there are a lot of interesting things happening in the world of photonics. “I am very interested in the field of integrated photonics," he said. "From a business standpoint, we have invested a lot in making complex light-detecting sensors smaller over the past several years. In the upcoming period, you will see our first new products where these kinds of sensors emerge.”
Today, Admesy has developed a wide range of user-friendly and robust light and colour measurement devices, suited for both analytical applications and display measurements. They provide customers with solutions for production processes, test and measurement, automated inspection and analysis.
The Admesy product range includes the Neo and Prometheus Series of spectroradiometers and colourimeters. The Neo Series is a platform for high-end spectral measurement of a wide array of applications including analytical, transmission or absorbance testing. The system can also be used for Solid State Lighting (SSL) such as LED-testing, or thin-film coating. The Prometheus Series provides fast, accurate and reliable colourimeters and spectroradiometers for display measurements. This colourimeter series adds integrating flicker and response time measurement options to the colour measurements.
However, launching new technologies to market creates challenges and chief among these are potential issues that can arise from the supply chain. “Many companies face this issue. Up till now, we have successfully faced this with virtually no lead time loss. But it is something we have to keep track of,” said Bouten.
Bouten has an engineering background and found the commercial side more challenging. In his own words, he found that the greatest issue was “to learn that developing products is not purely technical. You can make the coolest stuff ever but, if nobody wants it, what’s the use? Where my background and interest was purely scientific, I needed to shift to the more commercial part of the job. Knowing what your customer wants is just as important as the technical aspect of a product.”
To any new and aspiring photonics experts, Ruud advocates for finding your passion. “I would give the same advice as I would give anybody: try to find a job which makes you excited and happy. I believe if you are truly interested and happy in your job you can excel.”
When discussing the people that have helped him and inspired him in his career, Ruud was quick to defer to his colleagues and partners that have supported him throughout the course of his journey. “In my case, it’s not specifically one person in my career. I have had many colleagues who give me different insights or from whom I learned new skills. I’m a strong believer in doing things together. Admesy has invested a lot of time and effort in our physics department, and upcoming products and developments are heavily influenced by this."
If you are attending Photonics West in 2023 or any exhibition where Admesy is in attendance across Asia, USA or Europe, you should be able to find Ruud on the exhibition stand to provide expert information about Admesy products and technology development.
Organisation: Admesy
Job title: Co-Founder and CTO
Education: Bachelors degree in Engineering