Grow Your Company with a Forward Thinking Well-Equipped Team

BACKGROUND:

The success of OPEX Corporation has been built on technological innovation, product quality, and unmatched customer service and support. For over 40 years, OPEX has been providing equipment that facilitates workflow improvement to customers world-wide. Designed, engineered and manufactured in the U.S.A., in a net-zero solar complex located in Moorestown, New Jersey, OPEX is proud to be “made in America” and a part of the New Jersey manufacturing community.

With strong roots in the mail opening, extracting, sorting, and imaging sector, OPEX sets the standard in process optimization. This allows their customers to achieve greater efficiency, accuracy, and reliability required to compete in today’s global marketplace. Billions of transactions take place every year on OPEX machines. With a philosophy of never expanding too quickly or too far afield from their core competencies, OPEX is always on the lookout for related industries where its technologies can provide productivity improvements.

CHALLENGE:

While mail volumes have declined at rates far slower than originally projected, OPEX acknowledged the imminent shift in the industry. This prompted the company to look to other markets that had workflow challenges where its equipment might prove valuable. “Moving ahead continually and deliberately to assure the ongoing survival of the company” is one of OPEX’s Corporate Principles that continues to guide their efforts.

SOLUTION:

Adapting Existing Technologies to Create New Solutions:

Very much a part of the OPEX culture is its Advanced Development group –the company’s R&D team. Simply put, the team’s objective is to keep the company growing. While considering alternate uses for its existing technology, an OPEX customer suggested that the Mail Matrix, a high-speed mail sorting system, might also provide benefits to the material handling industry.

Employing another of the company’s Corporate Principles, “Listen and be responsive to customer’s needs”, Dave Stevens, President and CEO, acknowledged the potential and encouraged Advanced Development to move forward with its tried and true approach of developing a robust market analysis. The report’s results assisted in determining the viability of applying the technology to warehouse and distribution center operations. Advanced Development considered ways to repurpose its proven Mail Matrix technology for this new industry. Soon a full blown project was underway, which resulted in the revolutionary order fulfillment system known as Perfect Pick.

Perfect Pick is a robotic goods-to-person picking technology. Perfect Pick’s “one touch” design is based on a single automated component –the iBOT. This technology, which is core to Perfect Pick, was based on the proven and patented iBOT technology of the Mail Matrix originally developed in 2005. Perfect Pick is truly unique in its simplicity of design because it does not require lifts, conveyors, or multiple transfer points like more traditional systems. By eliminating these additional touch points and streamlining the picking process, Perfect Pick increases throughput and results in a more reliable and cost-effective system.

RESULTS:

The OPEX management team understands how global circumstances can change the business landscape and the impact it can have on a company’s overall success can be significant. The Advanced Development team at OPEX has the freedom and support to explore new markets and technologies to continue to develop methodologies to achieve sustainable growth.

If your company does not provide the freedom and structure to achieve sustainable growth, ask yourself why and what needs to happen to change that.

The New Jersey Manufacturing Extension Program, Inc. (NJMEP) can help you identify what your company needs to achieve sustainable growth.   Complimentary assessments are available along with recommendations on how to improve any problem areas that are identified. NJMEP can also help you plan and implement any recommended changes.

NJMEP’s Innovative Engineering Program is designed to help a company create the kind of environment that has made OPEX successful… that “Moving ahead continually and deliberately to assure the ongoing survival of the company.”   That forward thinking culture resulted in OPEX and NJMEP working together to implement Lean Manufacturing tools and techniques into the company’s manufacturing processes.

NJMEP’s Main Service Areas:  

• Business Development Services
• Contingency and Emergency Planning
• Destination Innovation
• Energy Alliance Program
• ExporTech™
• Human Resources Solutions
• Lean Business Solutions
• Quality Management Systems & ISO
• R&D Tax Credits
• Six Sigma
• Supply Chain, Transportation and Logistics Services