Vision & Traceability Group

The Vision & Traceability Group (VTG) is a new division within McNaughton-McKay Electric Company and is a certified solutions provider of machine vision solutions designed to improve the manufacturing and quality control process.

The Vision & Traceability Group's primary focus is supporting both Cognex and DVT machine vision solutions within McNaughton-McKay's offices in Madison Heights, Flint, and Ann Arbor as well as in Toledo, Ohio. These solutions also include complimentary technologies to machine vision including lighting, lens and other accessories necessary for system operation. Complete turn-key machine solutions offered through our trained channel of integration partners. The acquisition of Phoenix Automation Group, a leading supplier of DVT solutions, provided the personnel and assets necessary to form this new division in September 2005.

Machine vision is the non-contact method of measuring and analyzing a manufacturing or quality control process. This is done by utilizing lighting and lens techniques to highlight an element of the process and compare it against pre-established limits. Machine vision can offer simple pass-fail signals for sorting defective parts off a production line. Machine vision has added "intelligence" by adding on-board processing and ETHERNET in order to report actual measurements from the plant process which could be used for Statistical Process Control (SPC), barcode reading for Part Traceability as well as for offset dimensions for robotic guidance.

Who are Cognex and DVT?
Cognex was founded in 1981 from its three founders, who named the company from the phrase, "Cognition Experts". Over time the OEM-focused strategy of Cognex paid off handsomely while going public in 1989. With over 275,000 systems shipped and annual sales revenues in excess of $200 Million, Cognex is the largest manufacturer and supplier of machine vision in the world.

DVT was founded in 1991 and revolutionized the machine vision market with its small, inexpensive SmartImage Sensor. DVT's low-cost and easy to use platform was sold to the marketplace through distribution. Cognex acquired DVT in May 2005 and has created its own distribution model similar to the DVT supplier network.