Success Stories
A Waterloo Region Success Story
P&P Optica
A Kitchener company is getting results quickly
Imagine never having to wait more than a few minutes for your blood work. Now imagine doctors being able to do this instant analysis at a third of the cost they incur now. This is just one of the many uses a Kitchener company has found for its ground-breaking optical technology.
Olga Pawluczyk, President of P&P Optica
The father-daughter team of Romuald and Olga Pawluczyk are revolutionizing the use of spectrometers — a machine that instantaneously analyses the chemical make-up of products using only light.
A key application of their technology is a spectrometer that can measure commonly analyzed elements in blood — such as cholesterol and iron — within minutes. Thus, eliminating the need for dedicated laboratories — or the use of expensive chemicals — in doctors’ offices, clinics and emergency rooms across Ontario.
It all came about when Dr. Pawluczyk brought his research and his family to Canada from Poland in 1986. A decade later, he started a Quebec-based optics consulting business.
By 2000, his researcher-turned-executive daughter had joined the family business and they moved P&P Optica to Ontario. Her goal was to take her father’s research and create the best spectrometer the industry has ever seen.
But as with anything worth doing, there were struggles. So, Ms. Pawluczyk opted for some help from the Ontario Centres of Excellence (OCE), part of the Ontario Network of Excellence (ONE).
“Years ago [they] helped introduce us to some very valuable university researchers we still work with today,” said Ms. Pawluczyk, President, P&P Optica Inc.
Ms. Pawluczyk was introduced to some researchers from the University of Waterloo. Particularly, Dr. Kostadinka Bizheva, who began using P&P’s spectrometer technology in her own research — resulting in an ongoing conversation about P&P’s technology. This continuing conversation sprouted ideas and tips on how to better the spectrometer — benefiting both P&P and Dr. Bizheva’s own research.
“One of our clients compared our spectrometer to one of the industry leaders and our spectrometer was able to see 1400 per cent more. For example, in food, our technology is able to see 14-times-smaller E.coli bacteria colony than any other spectrometer,” said Ms. Pawluczyk.
As a result of their latest prototype’s success, P&P has hired 7 employees in the last 6 months and plans to hire 5 more in the next 6 months. P&P is also taking advantage of the ONE’s help in obtaining a VP of Business Development through the Embedded Executive Program.
“We are projecting our sales to quadruple in the next 12-18 months,” said Ms. Pawluczyk.
P&P also expects to hire a total of 50 new employees over the next 5 years, and is partnering with Midland, Ontario’s, Raytheon ELCAN Optical Technologies to produce the blood analysis instruments.
One of P&P Optica's Spectrometers
“What I love about the OCE and ONE is how they have connected us. They are probably our most valuable resource,” said Ms. Pawluczyk. “If we have a question that needs to be addressed quickly, we just pick-up the phone and call one of our contacts there. They always point us to the right person.”
The potential for P&P’s technology is boundless. Spectrometers are used to ensure food safety, water quality and for process control in pharmaceutical production. And, these instruments are being applied more and more as a tool for assessing biomarkers — which help doctors understand the risk individuals face for a given disease.
“Determining the exact chemical composition of products is becoming increasingly important. Our food supply is now so varied and comes from so many sources that testing for pathogens, nutritional value and contaminants is becoming crucial,” said Ms. Pawluczyk. “There is just no other non-destructive, easy-to-use technology that is positioned to do this other than spectroscopy. What industry wouldn’t benefit from advances in spectroscopy?”
