In 1994, Visy began its journey in Varkaus, Finland, developing the first versions of its optical character recognition (OCR) algorithms for the Finnish paper industry. A small team with a background in technology launched the project, focusing on advancing the tech and creating a system around it. By 1996, the pioneering effort led to a production-ready OCR camera system for a paper machine line, reading markings on paper rolls.

The Port of Hamina soon took notice, leading to Visy’s first commercial deal in 2000. The system executed automatic reading of both vehicle plates and container IDs, automatically sharing the data with third-party databases – a precursor to today’s sophisticated gate OCR solutions.

In the early 2000s, Visy engineers developed the first version of Visy Access Gate, deployed in a paper mill facility. This included both access management and license plate recognition systems, with all software developed in-house.

After developing a complete solution, Visy soon expanded outside of Finland with border control and terminal access control projects in Spain and Germany in 2003. Since then, the company’s operations have been international, with deliveries made around the world.

A symbolic touch to Visy’s journey is the iconic logo, referencing the “eye” of OCR and machine vision, reportedly designed by a local graphic design teacher in exchange for a bottle of cognac. The logo reflects continuous data capturing, OCR, and ever-evolving operations, which have been, and will remain, a staple in Visy’s story.

Today, Visy has more than earned the promise of its symbol, expanding the horizons of what’s possible with AI-powered vision technologies.

Visy is focused on the future – setting industry standards and helping customers operate with greater efficiency, security, and accuracy, while making terminal operations more sustainable.