Home

History

OTB’s roots go back to the early 1980’s, when Ron Kok, until then a successful engineer at various industrial companies, started his own activities for the CD/DVD industry. He invented the first fully automatic inline production system for CD’s which discs were traditionally made in clean rooms. He started a company called Optical Disc Manufacturing Equipment (ODME). His ‘Monoliner’ decreased the manufacturing cost price of a compact disc from $ 3.5 to ultimately $0.25, which reduction was an important driving force behind the global success of the CD. In 1994 Ron Kok left ODME and started OTB together with Leo van Doorne. OTB started by advising companies such as Shell and Johnson & Johnson how to look at traditional batch production processes of these companies and to come up with solutions that could bring higher yields and a substantial reduction of cost price per product.




Monoliner MK2: topview from the first fully integrated CD Production line.

Milestones in brief:

  • 1994: Establishment of OTB Engineering B.V.
  • 1995: Launch of the CD Miniliner
  • 1997: Worlds 1st inline equipment for disposable contact lenses (Johnson & Johnson)
  • 1999: Worlds 1st inline equipment for solar cells (Shell Solar)
  • 1999: Worlds 1st inline equipment for spectacle lenses (Johnson & Johnson)
  • 2000: Start CD/DVD mastering and replication activities
  • 2001: Acquisition of Toolex assets and patents (optical media)
  • 2002: Launch DEPx, OTB’s SiN thin film deposition tool for Solar
  • 2003: Introduction of unique injection molding technology
  • 2003: Launch Linear Motor System (LMS), OTB’s patented inline vacuum transport system
  • 2004: Worlds 1st inline PLED production equipment
  • 2004: The establishment of PixDro (JV), development of unique silicon based printer head, process and strategy
  • 2004: OTB sells CD/DVD mastering and replication activities
  • 2005: OTB establishes two separate business units (100% subsidiaries). OTB Solar and OTB Display
  • 2005: OTB Display acquires Philips Polyled assets and activities