OpTest Equipment

What OpTest Equipment does

OpTest Equipment Inc., founded in 1992/1993 and headquartered at 900 Tupper Street, Hawkesbury, Ontario, Canada, is a privately held specialty manufacturer of test instruments serving the pulp, paper, paperboard, tissue, nonwovens, packaging, and printing industries. The company offers more than 200 laboratory and on-line analyzers that quantify quality attributes including fiber morphology, sheet formation, visible dirt and holes, surface roughness, and print/coating mottle, distributed to customers in more than 34 countries.

The product portfolio centers on camera-based digital image analysis systems supported by proprietary optical and signal-processing algorithms. Anchor technologies include a patented cytometric flow cell using circular polarized light for the FQA-360 fiber quality analyzer, wavelet-based image decomposition for the Paper PerFect Formation Analyzer (PPF) and Hi-Op PPF (developed under US Patent 6,301,373 with McGill University), CCD camera-based dirt and formation measurement in the Micro-Scanner (co-developed with FP Innovations/Paprican), and an optical roughness sensor (OpTiSurf) that handles porous sheets unsuited to air-leak methods. Software add-ons (OpTiBlend, OpTiPro, OpTiMaq, Watermark Quality Analysis) extend installed analyzers into recurring-license revenue.

OpTest makes money through the sale of capital hardware, licensed software add-ons, and recurring service contracts. All sales are quote-based under multi-year contract arrangements; ongoing revenue is generated via Preventative Maintenance Plans (calibration certificate, service report, 10 hours of technical support) and tiered Technical Support Plans (10/20/unlimited hours per year). Go-to-market is hybrid: direct sales from Canadian headquarters supported by regional representatives, combined with exclusive distribution agreements with KRK (Canada, USA, Mexico), ODI exclusivity across Canada, USA, Europe, Mexico, Chile, and Japan, and additional reselling partnerships with The PTA Group/Noviprofibre and Nomura Shoji. OpTest operates under an ISO 9001 quality management system and aligns its instruments with TAPPI, ISO, and PAPTAC standards.

Name

OpTest Equipment

Legal name

OpTest Equipment Inc.

Website

https://optest.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1993

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

OpTest Equipment is a privately held Canadian manufacturer of laboratory and on-line test instruments for the pulp, paper, tissue, nonwovens, packaging, and printing industries, offering 200+ analyzers across fiber morphology, formation, dirt, roughness, and mottle to enterprise mills and R&D centers in 34+ countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Testing Instruments (Pulp & Paper)

NAICS

Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing (334516), Navigational, Measuring, Electromedical, and Control Instruments Manufacturing (3345)

SIC

Laboratory Analytical Instruments (3826), Industrial Instruments For Measurement, Display, And Control (3823)

akta.pro primary industry

Metrology, Calibration & Testing Equipment (Balances, pH/DO, Standards) (HLAGAIAL)

Keywords

• Paper testing instruments
• Fiber quality analysis
• Sheet formation analyzers
• Surface roughness measurement
• Pulp testing equipment

Headquarters

HQ city

Hawkesbury

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Test Instrument Hardware Sales: Sale of laboratory and on-line analyzers for quantifying quality in pulp, paper, paperboard, tissue, and nonwoven industries. Includes Fiber Quality Analyzers, Formation Analyzers, Dirt Speck Analyzers, and specialized testing equipment.
2. Software Licenses and Options: Proprietary software products including OpTiBlend for pulp species estimation, Watermark Quality Analysis Software, OpTiPro Pattern Recognition, and OpTiMaq Creases Detection. Additional software modules for fiber analysis.
3. Preventative Maintenance Plans (PMP): Annual maintenance services including Certificate of Calibration, Service Report, and 10 hours of Technical Support. Ensures equipment remains in good working order.
4. Technical Support Plans (TSP): Technical support provided via email, phone, or fax with options for 10, 20, or unlimited hours per year.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

OpTest Equipment designs, manufactures, and distributes more than 200 laboratory and on-machine test instruments that quantify formation, visible dirt, fiber morphology, surface roughness, and print/coating mottle for pulp, paper, paperboard, tissue, and nonwoven manufacturers. The company also sells proprietary software add-ons (OpTiBlend, OpTiPro, OpTiMaq, WQA) and operates as exclusive North American distributor for Kumagai Riki Kogyo (KRK) pulp-and-paper testing equipment.

Product overview

OpTest Equipment manufactures and markets over 200 test instruments for quality analysis in the pulp, paper, paperboard, tissue, and nonwovens industries. The product portfolio centers on laboratory and on-machine analyzers for quantifying sheet quality attributes including formation (PPF, Hi-Op PPF), visible dirt detection (Micro-Scanner, LSI-A4, ODI), surface roughness (OpTiSurf), print/coating mottle (OMA), and fiber morphology (FQA-360). Software add-ons including OpTiBlend, OpTiPro, OpTiMaq, and Watermark Quality Analysis extend core analyzer capabilities. The company also distributes KRK (Kumagai Riki Kogyo) laboratory equipment for pulp testing, printability evaluation, and paper physical property testing across North America.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Fiber Quality Analyzer - 360 (FQA-360) Image-based fiber morphology analyzer that rapidly measures fiber length, width, curl, kink, and fines content using a patented cytometric flow cell with circular polarized light, designed for pulp laboratories and process labs.
• Paper PerFect Formation Analyzer (PPF) Sheet formation analyzer using wavelet algorithms to partition sheet uniformity into 10 component values across size ranges of 0.4–60mm correlated with printability, strength, and opacity, for paper, tissue, and board quality labs.
• Hi-Op Paperboard PerFect Formation Analyzer (Hi-Op PPF) Formation analyzer designed for high-opacity paperboard up to 3000 g/m² using wavelet-based algorithms with relative formation values compared to reference sheets.
• Micro-Scanner Multi-function camera-based digital image analyzer developed with FP Innovations (Paprican) for measuring visible dirt (EBA/physical), formation quality, light/dark contraries, and solid print uniformity in pulp, tissue, paper, and board sheets.
• OpTiSurf Optical Roughness Analyzer Non-contact optical surface roughness analyzer using advanced optics and algorithms with FFT analysis across 7 size ranges (0.25–32mm), applicable to tissue and porous sheets not measurable by air-leak methods.
• Large Sheet In-speck-tor-A4 Dirt (LSI-A4-DIRT) A4-size sheet scanner for measuring visible dirt specks per ISO/TAPPI/PAPTAC methods with EBA calibration and single-scan operation on flat sheets with ISO Brightness >30%.
• Large Sheet In-speck-tor-A4 Holes (LSI-A4-HOLES) A4-size scanner for measuring visible holes in tissue and paper using dirt speck algorithms per ISO/TAPPI/PAPTAC standards, operating on flat sheets with ISO Brightness >40%.
• OpTest Mottle Analyzer (OMA) Wavelet-based print/coating mottle analyzer quantifying non-uniformity over mottle sizes from 0.5mm to 16mm with automatic comparison to reference samples, emulating human visual perception.
• Lint Tester Portable device developed by Domtar Research for collecting lint from offset blankets, with screening system using 150/400 mesh screens for analyzing linting propensity.
• On-machine Dirt In-speck-tor (ODI) Industrial camera-based on-machine sensor for visible dirt measurement on pulp, paper, and board sheets moving up to 1200 m/min, with PLC/DCS integration via KepServer and physical/EBA size reporting per ISO/TAPPI standards.
• KRK Absorptometer (KM500win) Automatic scanning liquid absorption meter based on Bristow's method for paperboard, used for sizing degree assessment and printability evaluation, distributed exclusively in Canada, USA, and Mexico under the KRK partnership.
• Preventative Maintenance Plans (PMP) Annual preventative maintenance service including Certificate of Calibration, Service Report, and 10 hours of Technical Support to keep equipment in good working order.
• Technical Support Plans (TSP) Subscription technical support provided via email, phone, or fax with options for 10, 20, or unlimited hours per year of expert assistance.
• OpTiBlend (OTB) Software Software that estimates mass ratio of up to 5 pulp species in unknown blends using fiber morphological data from FQA-360 or HiRes FQA, with accuracy approaching 1% by weight.
• OpTiPro Pattern Recognition Software Software for analyzing periodic and quasi-periodic patterns in formed sheets using Enhanced FFT analysis, used for paper machine maintenance, troubleshooting, and quality control.
• OpTiMaq Creases & Macro-fold Detection in Tissue Software Software for detecting creases and macro-folds in tissue sheets using proprietary image analysis, paired with Paper PerFect Formation Analyzer or Micro-Scanner.
• Watermark Quality Analysis Software (WQA) Software for measuring watermark sharpness and intensity relative to reference or artwork using transmitted light imaging with Micro-Scanner or PPF.

Quantifiable outcome

• FQA-360 measures fiber length with sensitivity of 0.001mm and width with <1µm/fiber accuracy
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

AI capability8 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Kumagai Riki Kogyo Co., Ltd. (KRK)coreTechnology or IntegrationKRK is a Japanese manufacturer of pulp and paper testing equipment. OpTest serves as exclusive distributor for KRK products in Canada, USA, and Mexico. Products include absorptometers, refiners, beaters, disintegrators, sheet formers, and various testing instruments.
• FP Innovations (Paprican)coreTechnology or IntegrationFP Innovations developed the Micro-Scanner, a compact multi-function camera-based digital image analyzer for measuring visible dirt, formation quality, light contraries, and solid print uniformity. OpTest manufactures and distributes this technology.
• The PTA Group (Noviprofibre)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPTA Group (Noviprofibre) manufactures testing equipment including the Bendtsen Type Tester and other paper testing instruments that OpTest distributes.
• Nomura Shoji Co., Ltd.minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorJapanese manufacturer whose products are distributed through OpTest in the paper, tissue, and board testing category.
• McGill UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDr. Jean-Philippe Bernié and Prof. M. Douglas from McGill University developed the advanced wavelet algorithms used in OpTest's formation analyzers (US Patent 6,301,373).
• Ondimage Inc.minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDr. Jean-Philippe Bernié of Ondimage Inc. developed the wavelet algorithm used in the OpTest Mottle Analyzer (OMA).

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Technidyne Corporation: US-based manufacturer of laboratory instruments for pulp and paper quality testing, including brightness, color, opacity, dirt, and formation analyzers. Most direct competitor to OpTest's paper/tissue testing portfolio, selling overlapping TAPPI/ISO-standard instruments to the same mill customers.
• Lorentzen & Wettre (L&W): Swedish-origin maker of fiber, sheet, and pulp testing instruments (now part of ABB). Sells fiber quality analyzers, sheet formation testers, and other TAPPI-aligned instruments directly competitive with OpTest's FQA-360 and PPF products.
• Emtec Electronic: German manufacturer of specialized hand-feel, softness, and surface/haptics testing devices for paper, tissue, nonwoven, and textile substrates. Comparable niche industrial customer base (tissue/nonwoven mills) with proprietary measurement technologies paralleling OpTest's specialty instruments.
• Testing Machines Inc. (TMI): US supplier of physical property testing instruments for paper, board, tissue, packaging, and materials. Overlapping product categories (burst, tear, tensile, smoothness) and serves the same paper-mill and R&D customer base as OpTest.
• Messmer Büchel: Dutch/German manufacturer of paper and board physical testing instruments (burst, Cobb, ring crush, smoothness). Sells into the same pulp and paper mill QC and R&D labs as OpTest with adjacent standardized test methods.

Broad incumbents

• Valmet: Finnish global leader in pulp, paper, and energy process technology. Operates broadly in the same industry as OpTest, supplying process automation, on-line quality measurement, and mill-wide solutions that include QCS sensors adjacent to OpTest's on-machine ODI offerings.
• ABB: Global industrial automation and measurement company that owns Lorentzen & Wettre and sells process measurement, QCS, and laboratory pulp/paper instruments. Competes with OpTest at the lab instrument level and at the mill-wide on-machine measurement layer.
• ANDRITZ: Austrian supplier of pulp, paper, and stock-preparation equipment and services. While broader and process-focused, it overlaps with OpTest in laboratory pulp testing and stock preparation analytics sold to pulp and paper producers globally.

Emerging players

• Verity IA: Provider of machine vision and image-analysis solutions for paper and tissue quality. Niche overlap with OpTest's computer-vision-based analyzers (FQA-360, Micro-Scanner, OMA), focused on similar defect detection and uniformity use cases for tissue mills.

Regional players

• IDM Instruments: Australia-based manufacturer of paper and packaging physical testing instruments. Comparable product categories (burst, tear, tensile, smoothness) serving pulp/paper labs; primarily serves Asia-Pacific vs. OpTest's North America and European footprint.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/OpTestEquipmentInc/videos
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/optest-equipment-inc-/?originalSubdomain=ca

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

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 OpTest Equipment