As we reflect on 2025, one truth emerges clearly. In an increasingly AI-powered world demanding faster and better solutions, optics stands at the forefront, augmenting various capabilities across industries. This is precisely the role Optikos has embraced throughout the year, and this retrospective captures the strategic investments, technical breakthroughs, and collaborative partnerships that defined our trajectory.
Exponential Expansion Through Strategic Investments
The seeds planted in previous years bore remarkable fruit in 2025. “The internal investment Optikos has made in prior years has started to pay dividends in 2025 as Optikos experienced record growth, with revenue growth of over 70% and a 95% increase in bookings year over year, setting up 2026 for continued success,” explains Frank Hammell, Director of Finance and Administration at Optikos. These numbers tell a story not merely of financial success, but of sustained commitment to excellence and strategic foresight.
“Optikos experienced record revenue growth in 2025 and a 95% increase in bookings, setting up 2026 for continued success,” -Frank Hammell, Director of Finance and Administration
The momentum reflects broader trends in the optical technology sector. At Laser World of Photonics 2025 in Munich, record attendance of 44,000 participants and nearly 1,400 exhibitors demonstrated the surging global demand for precision optical solutions. From automotive sensor systems to space telecommunication infrastructure requiring high-resolution imagery, industries across the spectrum are calling for increasingly stringent optical performance, a trend captured in 2025 results.
Innovation Through Technical Excellence
Beyond the balance sheet, 2025 marked significant technological achievements for Optikos. The company unveiled the APEX Pre-Engineered Microscope Objectives, a curated library of proven designs that accelerate custom lens development while reducing both timeline and upfront costs. “Customers often look for builds that are quicker to design, less expensive, and maintain performance,” explains Marketing Manager, Brooke Nagle. “Pre-engineered solutions offer that path for many projects, and we love seeing the new developments that stem from these building blocks.” By reviewing over 100 commercial off-the-shelf systems from leading manufacturers, Optikos created pre-engineered solutions offering superior numerical aperture and field of view ranges compared to existing market offerings.
Another breakthrough came with the ColliMeter for Riflescopes. This measurement system revolutionizes parallax testing by providing objective, precise measurements for collimator setup and qualification. After decades of using this technology internally for different applications, Optikos responded to customer demand by creating and commercializing the ColliMeter for Riflescopes for external use. The system employs a scanning pentaprism technique to measure wavefront slope across apertures, enabling users to stop guessing about collimation and start measuring with confidence.
Expanding Capabilities in Complex Systems
The technical sophistication of optical projects undertaken by Optikos increased substantially in 2025. “I think this year’s most important achievement was the team’s success in overcoming significant challenges in optical design, alignment, and opto-mechanical integration,” reflects Nathan Wallace, Director of Engineering Services at Optikos. “This has broadened Optikos’ capabilities and has led to the development of new analysis methods, alignment tools, and assembly expertise that strengthen our foundation for future optical systems developments.”
These enhanced capabilities proved essential in metrology advancement, particularly in thermal testing. “I think one of the more exciting technological advancements we’ve made in the IQ Lab this year is expanding our thermal testing services to the infrared,” notes Kevin Rovelli, IQ Lab Manager at Optikos. “We’ve seen increasing demand for lens testing over temperature from the defense sector, so we upgraded our thermal testing equipment and procedures to include MWIR and LWIR lens testing over temperature.”
Manufacturing Excellence and Process Innovation
Manufacturing operations also experienced transformative improvements in 2025. Steve Patino, Manufacturing Manager at Optikos, explains the team’s approach: “We engineered an improved methodology that significantly enhanced efficiency throughout our manufacturing process. By implementing electronic checklists and barcoded tracking for calibrated equipment and materials, we automated critical data entry for operators, dates, and times. Tool IDs and calibration due dates can now be entered via barcode or manually, and we established hard stops for any past-due items, ensuring immediate action when changes are needed. I am happy to see that our results speak for themselves.”
“We engineered an improved methodology that significantly enhanced efficiency throughout our manufacturing process.” -Steve Patino, Manufacturing Manager
This systematic approach to process optimization reflects Optikos’ broader commitment to Industry 4.0 integration, including collaborative robots in design and manufacturing projects requiring process streamlining.
Strategic Partnerships and Market Positioning
The translation of technical excellence into commercial success became evident through expanded customer relationships. “Demand for high-performing optical components has surged dramatically, with bookings increasing 4.5-fold compared to 2024,” says Lars Sandström, Director of Business Strategy at Optikos. “This surge represents a dual achievement: first, securing the confidence of leading innovators across the global economy, from aerospace to consumer technology; and second, establishing strategic partnerships in new verticals, such as our collaboration with Novanta in life sciences, a partnership we look forward to discussing in greater detail at Photonics West 2026.”
“Demand for high-performing optical components has surged dramatically, with bookings increasing 4.5-fold compared to 2024.” -Lars Sandström, Director of Business Strategy
Looking Forward
As 2025 draws to close, Optikos stands positioned for continued success. With enhanced facilities, strengthened capabilities, and deepened partnerships, the foundation has been laid for sustained advancement in the upcoming year. We are grateful for everyone who made 2025 a successful year at Optikos and are looking forward to the fresh developments happening behind the scenes to be unveiled in 2026.