Technology in Medicine Nov 03

Commitment to Quality Spells Success for Ampronix

by Julie E. Williamson

After nearly 22 years in business, Irvine, CA-based Ampronix Inc. knows what it takes to build a sales and service company that can endure the myriad industry changes and evolving customer demands. Initially a business geared toward the sales and service of video imaging equipment for the broadcast, industrial and computer sectors, it soon became clear that there were significant opportunities on the medical side as well.

Ampronix, the medical imaging division of Varitek Inc., Orange, CA, was designed specifically to accommodate the medical industry by specializing in sales and service of new and refurbished high resolution display monitors, CRTs, video printers, VCRs and cameras used with various X-ray, nuclear medicine, MRT, angio, ultrasound and CT applications. Today, Ampronix has one of the largest repair facilities in the country and is experiencing substantial growth in both domestic and international markets.

Here Ampronix president and CEO Nausser Fathollahi discusses how the company is meeting the vast needs of the medical imaging market, as well as the key factors behind Ampronix's success and his visions for the future.

Q: What was behind the decision to specialize in video equipment?

A: My background is in electronic engineering so it was more my personal interest to work with video signals, video displays and processors, and so on. It was just a logical fit. I used to work for a Japanese company and handled all their electronic repairs. I made a lot of improvements within that company and really enjoyed the accomplishments. When we formed our own company, we had even more satisfaction because we had the ability to do more and make more decisions. We got into the medical side of business because we were looking for a challenge and recognized that medical equipment required more critical type of repairs and service. We wanted to go after a market that required higher demand and high quality operations that could handle repairs and support.

Q: Maintaining a strong, viable business for more than two decades is quite an accomplishment. To what do you credit Ampronix's long-term success?

A: Obviously, there is much more involved with servicing medical equipment than there is for the broadcasting and industrial side, because when you're talking about patients, it can mean life or death. The processes are just much more critical. Because of those things, we have implemented a very strict quality control process that involves at least three phases to make sure that we have zero returns in terms of equipment failure. On top of the ISO standards for quality, we have our own inspection process that really goes beyond that. We look at things very closely and very realistically, that's the bottom line. That means putting ourselves in our customer's position and really understanding what the customer expects and needs, and then meeting and even exceeding those expectations.

If we close our eyes and just ship a unit without giving much thought about it getting there in one piece and whether it can be installed properly without any problems, that won't help us as a company, and it certainly won't help the customer. The unit may be in working order, but there might be tricks or techniques behind the installation that not all field engineers will be familiar with. We want to make sure that when they get the equipment, they have the support they need. We have information attached to the unit that tells the field engineer to contact us immediately if they have any questions or need assistance to install the equipment. When we ship equipment, our job doesn't end there. In some cases, we initiate the calls before the customers do to offer our assistance. If an item is scheduled to be delivered by 10:00 AM, for example, we may give them a call at 11:00 to make sure the field engineer doesn't have any questions. I believe the customer service aspect is just as important as our experience in the sales and service of medical video imaging equipment.

Q: Speaking of quality, Ampronix has a quality manager in-house. How has this benefited the company—and customers?

A: We don't just get our assurance from the ISO quality standards. We saw the need to implement our own internal quality standards based on information and customer feedback that may not have been covered under the ISO standards. For the past four years, we have had an in-house quality manager who looks at all aspects of operations on a daily basis and runs regular internal audits. ISO requires this only once every six months, but our quality manager does this every day, and ensures that any issue is taken care of immediately. That has really made a positive impact on this company because the quality manager's job is to quickly address and resolve any quality-related issues.

Our definition of overall quality extends beyond that, though. If you really open up the whole idea of quality and break it down into pieces, you see it not only involves a good operation, but also good customer service. Having knowledgeable people in the customer service department who really understand the equipment and customer needs also makes a big difference. Our customer service team knows what the customer is asking for and has the information available to offer the most effective solutions. In addition to having a knowledgeable staff, we also have in place a very elaborate software system that includes information on all the different units and can help the customer service department make the most appropriate suggestions. Having employees that truly understand the critical nature of the medical industry is a big part of our success. We all know that it's more than just equipment—it's a patient on the other end. If a unit fails and a customer in another state needs to have the unit in the same day, for example, we will do whatever is necessary to get it there on time, even if it means taking it to the airport, buying a ticket and putting it on a plane. In all our meetings, we always remind our staff that what we do here has direct consequences with what happens in hospitals.

Q: Over the past two decades, what changes have been most apparent in this particular marketplace/equipment sector, and how has Ampronix responded to those changes?

A: From the service angle, we have definitely seen quality standards increase over the years. A positive development from that is from the customer side, they are having greater expectations in terms of quality. They really want to deal with high quality operations and do not want to take risks by just looking at cost. While cost is obviously a consideration, they are realizing more than ever that it's not the only factor.

Of course, we have also seen changes and improvement in technology, both in terms of the type of equipment available and its different capabilities. Even over the last ten years, there have been significant improvements in equipment that have helped provide clearer images and improve diagnosis. There have also been some changes in terms of the buying market itself. Because of the Internet, the distance has become shorter between countries. Those countries that can afford better technology are being more proactive in improving their hospitals and in bringing in better equipment, so that is creating a lot of opportunity for us here. Although the transactions may be done differently when dealing with other countries, the demand and potential isn't much different than in this country.

In terms of exporting, some aspects have become simpler, while other areas have become more difficult. As I noted, the communication side has become simpler because we can communicate with just about anyone in the world via the Internet and only really have to take into consideration the time difference.

On the other hand, the U.S. government has implemented much stricter rules and regulations for importing and exporting and that has made things a bit more difficult. Still, the overall market is growing and the opportunities are exciting.

Q: What are Ampronix’s plans and goals for the future?

A: First of all, we are always striving to improve customer service and our overall business operations. As part of our commitment to quality and customer service, we plan to expand our locations, both domestically and internationally. We will be doing that phase by phase, but we plan to have offices in the Midwest and the East Coast, as well as in parts of Europe and Asia. There is also very good potential with South America and Central America, so we a considering having an office in South America that can cover most of Latin America. The demand is there on a global scale and it's growing. We have a relatively small company, but we have a big vision and that's what drives us forward. Our vision is realistic, but we realize it isn't going to happen overnight. Still, we know that you have to keep making strides if you want to remain successful and improve customer service and satisfaction.

For more information about Ampronix and the products and services they offer, please contact: 800.400.7972 or www.ampronix.com.