What Automation Engineering does

Automation Engineering Inc (AEi), headquartered in Tewksbury, Massachusetts, is a precision automation equipment manufacturer specializing in camera and sensor module assembly and test systems. Founded in 1990, the company offers two principal product lines: the CMAT (Camera Module Assembly and Test) platform, including the CMAT Rapid Active and CMAT Alignment systems, and the PCT (Photonic Camera Test) platform, including the PCT Optical Camera and PCT Module Tests. The company is described as the market leader in automation camera and sensor assembly and test equipment, serving automotive (primary), drones, security and surveillance, and medical imaging applications.

The business operates as a wholly-owned subsidiary of ASM Pacific Technology Ltd (ASMPT), a Hong Kong-listed strategic operating company in semiconductor and electronics manufacturing equipment. ASMPT completed the all-cash acquisition of AEi on February 3, 2022; prior to that, AEi was part of Sweden's Mycronic Group. A related entity, Automation Engineering Company (AEC), distributes and integrates Meltio's laser-based metal deposition (wire-fed 3D printing) systems across the United States, serving oil and gas, energy, and heavy industrial customers.

The revenue model is anchored in capital equipment sales of precision manufacturing systems to OEM and tier-one manufacturers, supplemented by a channel-partner and integration role for Meltio's additive manufacturing systems in the US market. Public pricing is not disclosed. AEi operates with 501-1,000 employees, has direct sales coverage in the United States and Japan, and is led by Dr. Michael Chiu (CTO), Larry Mihalchik (CFO), and Manabu Okyudo (Japan Country Sales Manager).

Name

Automation Engineering

Legal name

Automation Engineering Inc

Website

https://aeiboston.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Automation Engineering Inc (AEi) is a US-based precision automation equipment manufacturer specializing in camera and sensor module assembly and test systems, serving automotive, drone, security, and medical markets as a wholly-owned ASMPT subsidiary.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Camera Module Assembly Equipment

NAICS

Instruments and Related Products Manufacturing for Measuring, Displaying, and Controlling Industrial Process Variables (334513), Navigational, Measuring, Electromedical, and Control Instruments Manufacturing (33451), Industrial Machinery Manufacturing (33324)

SIC

Industrial Instruments For Measurement, Display, And Control (3823), Special Industry Machinery (No Metalworking Machinery) (3550), Special Industry Machinery, Nec (3559)

akta.pro primary industry

Machine Vision & Industrial Imaging Systems (IMAHAHAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Machine Vision & Optical Sensing (Cameras, 3D vision, LiDAR, illumination) (IMAGAFAB), Industrial Automation Software (SCADA, HMI, MES, Historian) (IMAHAHAJ)

Keywords

• Camera module assembly
• Sensor test equipment
• Active alignment systems
• Precision automation equipment
• Camera module testing

Headquarters

HQ city

Tewksbury

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Meltio Systems Distribution and Integration: AEC generates revenue by distributing, integrating, and supporting Meltio's laser-based metal deposition systems across the US market, combining both companies' capabilities to deliver production-ready additive manufacturing solutions to industrial manufacturers.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Core offering

Automation Engineering (AEi) designs and manufactures precision camera and sensor assembly and test equipment under two main product lines: CMAT (camera module assembly and alignment systems) and PCT (optical camera and module testing systems). The company provides active alignment solutions for camera module manufacturing across automotive, drone, security and surveillance, and medical applications. Through its AEC division, it also distributes and integrates Meltio's laser-based metal additive manufacturing systems across the United States.

Product overview

AEi (Automation Engineering Inc.), now part of ASMPT and the Mycronic Group, is the market leader of automation camera and sensor assembly and test equipment. The company offers a unified portfolio of precision manufacturing systems organized into two main product lines: CMAT (precision camera assembly and alignment systems including Rapid Active and Alignment modules) and PCT (optical camera and module testing systems including Optical Camera and Module Tests). These products work together to enable end-to-end precision manufacturing for cameras and sensors across automotive, drones, security and surveillance, and medical applications.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• CMAT Rapid Active

Quantifiable outcome

• Production-ready additive manufacturing solutions delivered through partnership combining both companies' capabilities

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• MeltiocoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 18 February 2026Automation Engineering Company (AEC) has been selected as the official US sales and integration partner for Meltio. AEC will distribute, integrate, and support Meltio's laser-based metal deposition systems across the United States. The partnership combines AEC's expertise in robotic welding and automation with Meltio's wire-fed 3D printing technology to deliver production-ready additive manufacturing solutions to manufacturers in oil and gas, energy, and heavy industry sectors.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Koh Young Technology: Korea-headquartered leader in 3D optical inspection and metrology for electronics assembly. Koh Young's SPI and AOI systems serve similar electronics manufacturing customers as AEi's PCT testing product line, making it a direct comparable in inspection/test equipment.
• Saki Corporation: Japan-based supplier of automated optical and X-ray inspection equipment for SMT and semiconductor assembly. Saki's M2M and 3Di-LU2 series compete with AEi's optical testing products in high-precision electronics manufacturing inspection.
• Test Research Inc (TRI): Taiwan-based supplier of automated optical inspection (AOI), X-ray inspection, and functional test systems for electronics and semiconductor manufacturing. TRI's inspection portfolio overlaps with AEi's PCT testing line, targeting similar high-precision camera and sensor manufacturing workflows.
• Viscom AG: Germany-headquartered inspection systems supplier specializing in high-end optical and X-ray inspection for electronics manufacturing. Viscom's product focus on automotive electronics inspection closely mirrors AEi's automotive camera/sensor inspection applications.
• Luster LightTech: China-based machine vision and industrial AI supplier that builds vision systems and 3D inspection platforms for electronics and camera module manufacturing. Luster directly competes with AEi in active alignment and optical inspection tools for high-volume camera module production.

Broad incumbents

• ASM Pacific Technology (ASMPT): AEi's parent company and one of the world's largest semiconductor and electronics assembly equipment suppliers. ASMPT provides the channel and capital base that AEi now operates within, and its broader portfolio of die-bonders, wire-bonders, and SMT tools overlaps with adjacent equipment categories AEi addresses.
• Cognex Corporation: Global leader in machine vision systems and industrial barcode reading. Cognex's vision modules, alignment software, and 3D displacement sensors overlap with the enabling technology layer that AEi integrates into its camera module assembly and test systems.
• Keyence Corporation: Japan-headquartered supplier of industrial automation, machine vision, sensors, and measurement systems. Keyence's vision systems and precision measurement products serve adjacent applications in factory automation and quality inspection, comparable to AEi's precision assembly and testing portfolio.
• Mycronic: AEi's former corporate parent and a global supplier of assembly equipment for electronics manufacturing, including pick-and-place and PCB assembly. Mycronic's electronics assembly portfolio is comparable to AEi's broader positioning in precision manufacturing equipment for cameras and sensors.

Emerging players

• PI (Physik Instrumente): Germany-based supplier of precision positioning systems, hexapods, and nanopositioning equipment widely used in active alignment for photonics and camera module assembly. PI's positioning technology competes with AEi's active alignment capability at the subsystem level for high-precision optical assembly.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/automation-engineering-incorporated

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Automation Engineering