Unemployed Technicians Launch Vetex Omni-Directional Technology Company
March 9,
2010 — In the spring of
2008, the entire staff of a New Jersey-based technology company found themselves
unemployed as the company imploded under financial pressures. The group,
comprised of nearly the entire technical staff, decided to band together and
carry on the quest to revolutionize the way things are moved in the world today.
They call themselves Vehicle Technologies,
Inc., but are known as Vetex for short. The
group poured in their personal savings, and requisite buckets of sweat equity,
to make the new company a success. Now in their third year, they are on track to
report a second annual 1000-percent increase in sales.
“We know that these
growth numbers are unsustainable in the long run, especially in the present
economic climate,” said Nicholas Fenelli, president of the Trenton, N.J.
company, “but it sure is fun to look at them now!”
Initial sales for
Vetex came from completing some contracts abandoned by their predecessor when
operations ceased. The technical
team then put together a family of customizable omni-directional mobility
platforms, in types referred to as robotic mobility platforms (RMPs),
remote-controlled mobility platforms (RCMPs), and walk-behind mobility platforms
(WMPs). These machines are available in a variety of sizes, capacities, and
types, including skid handling, lift table, and tables that lift and tilt. Also
offered is an array of operator control types, such as tethered and wireless for
the RCMP, and fixed, re-locatable, or walk/ride for the
WMP.
Recently the company
began building and selling The Sidewinder omni-directional lift truck under
exclusive license. Launched by the predecessor organization in 2005, this
vehicle has an excellent track record, and has been working in the field for
five years with a record of little or no maintenance and few repairs. The “new
and improved model” should exhibit an even more exemplary record going
forward.
In addition to
producing the mobility platforms, the company works with OEMs as a system
integrator, helping to bring the efficiencies of omni-directional mobility to
their products via engineering assistance, omni-directional wheels, and a broad
spectrum of drive system components and compatible accessories. Vetex also
performs conversions or drive system add-ons to vehicles, machines, or platforms
that are already performing valuable service in the field, but can benefit from
added maneuverability.
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