Rochester, NY-Quality Vision International Inc. (QVI), a vision metrology company, broke ground on April 12 for a new facility that will be the headquarters for its Kotem Technologies division and strengthen customer support for Central Europe. The 600 square-meter technical center in Budaörs, Hungary, is slated to open in the first quarter of 2007.

Founded in 1991, Kotem Technologies develops Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing and fitting software for precision metrology, widely used on video measuring systems and a broad variety of coordinate measuring machines. Kotem Technologies products include SmartFit 3-D best- fitting and analysis software package.

Kotem Technologies was acquired by QVI in 2005. QVI is the parent company of several companies specializing in noncontact dimensional measurement, including Optical Gaging Products, View Engineering, Ram Optical Instrumentation and Micro-Metric. Corporate facilities are located in the United States, Germany, Singapore, India and China.

"Kotem is committed to providing customers globally with solutions for process analysis and troubleshooting in precision manufacturing. This new facility provides room to expand and develop additional software technologies," says Kostadin Doytchinov, Kotem Technologies president and founder.

"As the need for precision dimensional measurement expertise continues to grow throughout the world, this expansion ensures that Kotem Technologies and QVI have the space and expertise necessary to satisfy the demands of a rapidly expanding customer base as well as broadening the markets Kotem software can reach," says R. Stephen Flynn, QVI senior vice president of marketing and sales.