Argo AI LLC, a driverless-car developer controlled by Ford Motor Co. , has purchased a 17-year-old company that makes laser systems needed to operate cars without human intervention, an important step for a conventional Detroit auto maker looking to boost its role in shaping the industry’s transformation.

Argo AI said Friday it is buying New Jersey-based Princeton Lightwave Inc. for an undisclosed price, a move that provides Ford with more immediate access to so-called lidar systems that use lasers to create a 3-D view of the world. The move comes on the heels of the purchase of a small lidar startup by General Motors Co.’s Cruise Automation driverless car unit.

After spending decades farming out an increasing amount of work to independent suppliers, major auto makers are taking a different path when it comes to creating autonomous-driving systems. Lidar, for instance, is a system that could come from a third-party supplier that may not move at the speed that car companies require.

“The component providers are not moving fast enough,” Bryan Salesky, Argo chief executive, said in an interview ahead of the purchase announcement. “Because they’re not moving fast enough we feel like we need to take more of a lead role in getting the right sensor out there.”

Ford announced earlier this year it acquired control of Pittsburg-based Argo AI, committing to $1 billion in investment. The Dearborn, Mich., auto maker aims to have commercially viable driverless cars by 2021, and Ford Chief Executive Jim Hackett has said the company is studying the best way to deploy the technology. On Thursday, Mr. Hackett suggested to analysts that a test deployment in a market may occur next year.