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Adept Technology Moves Robots into High-Tech Surroundings
By Nicole Zaro Stahl Hacienda is the “perfect fit” for Adept Technology Inc., the park’s first new tenant of 2009. Having moved into a combined total of 57,000 square feet in two sites on January 1, the robotics pioneer is stepping up its visibility in the technology universe. “We were formerly located in an industrial park,” comments John Dulchinos, who himself moved into the CEO spot in September 2008, after more than two decades with Adept, most recently as President and COO. “Hacienda is a beautiful setting, and we are pleased to be surrounded by so many other high-tech companies.” Dulchinos works out of the corporate offices and R&D center at 5960 Inglewood Dr. Manufacturing and operations occupy another 23,000 square feet at 5627 Gibraltar Dr. The split enabled Adept to upgrade its headquarters as it sharpens its focus on two distinct targets for its sophisticated robotic systems: the solar and packaging markets. “These industries are very different in concept but they have a common link: the need for high-speed, vision-guided robots, which is what Adept does very well,” notes Dulchinos. What really makes robots smart, he explains, is the ability to respond to their environment, so if something changes, they can adapt. “When we give the robot vision, it can look at the conveyor belt, find the cookie, pick it up, and put it in the package. In a solar plant, the robot inspects the solar cell to make sure it is defect free before picking it up and placing it in the package. We can do this at very fast rates of speed.” These attributes align well with the specific demands currently facing each target industry. One of the hurdles for the very promising solar field is its long-term payback, Dulchinos says. Solar cell production costs have to come down to make the technology affordable to most consumers. Because Adept robots can inspect while packaging—“we are the only company to have this capability,” he insists—they can generate those elusive efficiencies that squeeze cost out of the manufacturing process. The stable, old-line food business is a prime Adept target for other reasons, including the proliferation of multiple packaging formats for a single product. “It doesn’t make sense to have three different production lines” just because of packaging differences, so there is a big push to the flexibility Adept systems offer, Dulchinos points out. The green-influenced drive to use less material has led to an increase in packaging that conforms to the shape of the product, a difficult task for most machines, but not robots. Factor in the potential for contamination in food environments, and sterile packaging robots become even more attractive–especially in meat processing, a sector Adept intends to court once its equipment receives USDA certification later this year. “Robots cost half of what they used to, and they are now two to three times faster. Combined with the labor savings and market demographics, automated packaging offers a compelling value proposition,” Dulchinos says. “We are in the right place at the right time with the right products to take advantage of these trends.” The publicly traded company has approximately 150 employees and expects 2009 revenues of roughly $55 million. For more information, visit www.adept.com. With Alliance Transportation, Founder Bret Erickson Shifts into Heavy-Haul Equipment
By Nicole Zaro Stahl At first glance, home mortgages and transporting freight might seem as different as chalk and cheese. But the two actually have much in common. That out-of-the-box connection propelled Bret Erickson to shutter his mortgage brokerage business and leap into the more hospitable world of logistics on April 23, 2008. Now Erickson is CEO of Alliance Transportation Inc., specializing in heavy-haul equipment like tractors, bulldozers, and trucks. “I had a mortgage company at 5990 Stoneridge Drive for five years, and I saw the defusing of the mortgage market,” Erickson relates. “I knew some people in the freight business, and after research I found that even with a different vocabulary, it was very similar to the mortgage arena.” How are they alike? A mortgage broker finds out what the homebuyer’s needs are, then goes to his vendor list and tries to make the best match at the best rate, Erickson explains. A logistics specialist does a similar thing for shippers that need to move a load. “For the mortgage, you need to know the client’s credit score, the property value, if the loan is interest only, etc. In trucking you need to know the item dimensions, weight, and so forth, and the type of trailer, whether flat bed, step deck, or van.” Special dispatch software helps Alliance Transportation make the most appropriate match between the load and the vehicle, but in-depth attention to a myriad of details—ranging from the item’s shape to whether state regulations require a pilot car as an escort—is also critical. Prospects have been receptive to cold calls from Alliance’s sales staff, Erickson reports. “Providing a service like ours can generate repeat business almost instantly,” he remarks. “Clients might start off with a load once a month, trying you out. That business can become heavy volume, with three or four quotes a day.” Erickson credits his entrepreneurial nature for the ability to discern the parallels between divergent businesses. This is not the first time it’s happened. He started his career as a recruiter, working for the nascent Netscape, Cisco, and other early-stage companies, where he developed “fairly substantial” revenue-generating business models. Then, “when the dot-bomb hit,” he transferred his skills to the mortgage arena, growing Erickson Financial to five branches before the economy shifted. Scanning the horizon for a patch of blue sky, Erickson became convinced of the long-term opportunity in transportation. As an essential service, “the trucking business will survive,” he affirms. “Fuel price increases might have to be passed on to retail customers, but goods must still get delivered.” His optimism is bolstered by an abiding business philosophy: “If you offer quality, integrity, and service, the money will come.” What clinched the birth of Alliance Transportation was Erickson’s ability to establish a partnership with an auction house that sells off large equipment. In addition to a steady stream of customers, the arrangement generates immediate revenue, a big help in balancing cash flow, he points out. Still two months shy of its first anniversary, Alliance now has a staff of eight employees, all of whom, like Erickson, feel very positive about the prospects of the new business. For more information about Alliance Transportation, visit www.alliancetransinc.com. |
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