Owner David Novak
DAVID NOVAK HAS FOUND HIS NICHE AS OWNER & ENGINEER AT DAJAC, INC. Writer / Jon Shoulders Photographer / Eli Beaverson
Novak says. “I knew it would be a neat field to go into.”
Twenty years ago, David Novak began carving out a unique niche for himself within the electronic and software engineering business, while working out of his home in Westfield. Since then, Novak has considerably expanded his business, Dajac, Inc., and has had a hand in designing products currently in use across the globe.
Soon after finishing his master’s degree, Novak went to Work for Hopkins Manufacturing Corporation in Emporia, Kansas, where he helped to design headlamp alignment equipment - an experience that would eventually inspire him to launch his own company with a focus on similar technology.
“It’s been a lot of fun, and the kind of thing we do is fairly specialized,” Novak says. “We’ve written custom software from the ground up, and we’ve done systems worldwide that are in places like Mexico, China and Taiwan.” After finishing a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering at Kansas State University, Novak stayed at KSU to obtain a master’s degree in electrical engineering in 1994, with a focus on machine vision and image processing. “Coming out of high school I was very interested in electronics and software,”
Novak moved to Central Indiana in the late 1990s to work for Thomson, a consumer electronics company, where he helped to develop some of the first high-definition televisions. In 2000 he decided it was time to strike out on his own after being asked to design an inspection system for a manufacturing plant in Seymour, Indiana, and Novak spent several years launching Dajac, which now not only offers headlamp alignment and validation but also a range of additional electronics and software engineering solutions. “It was a matter of working more than one job at a time for those first several years, and building the company out,” Novak says. “A 6 / WESTFIELD MAGAZINE / AUGUST 2020 / WestfieldMag.com
big part of my master’s degree was focused on machine vision and image processing, so that fit right in with what I like to do.” Today, Dajac consists of three divisions including its Osprey series of headlamp alignment and validation systems, for use primarily in vehicle headlamps. The company uses a computer-based operating system for its Osprey line, in conjunction with a high-resolution camera, and the system can be used on manufacturing and vehicle assembly lines. Dajac also offers a remote I/O (input/ output) line of products for automation of various systems including electronics and machinery. “Our Expert I/O line was designed specifically for use with our Osprey systems to control switches and lamps within the machine,” Novak explains. “We also offer it as a stand-alone unit. We’re working on some new models at the moment.” Lastly, Dajac offers electronics and software engineering contract services and can
