Global Fastener News

FEATURE

Partpic team, including co-founders Jewel Burks (center) and Jason Crain (second from left)

Sifting through screw and nut bins may soon be a thing of the past if Atlanta-based startup Partpic has its way. According to TechRepublic, Partpic has developed a proprietary visual recognition technology that allows users to search for a part by simply taking a photo.

“Once the image is taken through the app or uploaded to it, Partpic begins searching its growing database for identical parts,” writes Conner Forrest of TechRepublic. “The technology can recognize a part down to its exact number, not just a category. It won’t just tell you the part is a screw — it will tell you what type of screw it is and what distributor carries it.”

Partpic’s technology relies on a process called feature extraction, which distinguishes different features in a given part.

“The algorithm measures the part itself, its head type, finish, and thread count to determine what it is,” writes Forrest. “Right now, they are focused on fasteners, which are things like screws, bolts, and rivets.”

“All these are characteristics that make a given fastener unique,” co-founder and CEO Jewel Burks said.

The company hopes to license its technology to industrial distributors, retailers, and suppliers for use on their own websites or mobile apps. The technology also can be integrated into a kiosk system for customers to scan their items them in-store and be directed to the correct aisle.

According to TechRepublic, the idea for Partpic began two years ago while co-founder and CEO Jewel Burks was working at industrial distributor McMaster-Carr.

“My grandfather was looking for a tractor part and I couldn’t find it,” Burks told TechRepublic. “He had called me to help him find it, because he knew I was at a parts company, and I was having the hardest time trying to find this part.”

Burks teamed with former Google co-worker Jason Crain to decide that image recognition for parts was the best way to solve the issue.

The pair invested their own money in the early product development stage before they began to win startup pitch competitions to fund their business. Eventually they secured a $1.5 million funding source, which allowed them to hire full-time engineer and staff to handle customer requests.

Investor Joanne Wilson is one of many impressed with the project.

“It will streamline the way that customers are able to locate parts vs having to pour through large tomes to find the right piece,” Wilson told TechRepublic. “It will make take this business into the 21st century. It is a win for every vertical that uses parts, from cars to contractors to medical devices.”

Partpic is in the process of launching its service on the websites of two investors.

“Partpic is laser-focused on fasteners, but they could expand to other industries in the future,” according to TechRepublic. “Burks and Crain said they are interested in automotive, as there are a great deal of fasteners that are unique to automotive and they’ve gotten a lot of outreach from auto industry.” Web: partpic.com