MicroRidge Systems, Inc. has been listening to its customers for nearly three decades. The approach has become a core business philosophy for the company which uses this feedback in combination with flexibility and technology advances to lead the industry in wired and wireless interface and network data acquisition solutions. “We continue to develop our measurement collection technology with the goals of helping our customers reduce costs, increase production and achieve focused, real time results for growth,” said Mary Chisholm, Vice President Operations & Marketing for MicroRidge.
The company, a first, second and third tier supplier, primarily uses resellers to take its products around the globe. Paying attention to customers’ pain points has also been a foundational principle for QualiFine and Jay Bronec. A manufacturer’s need for gage interfacing helped introduce the two companies in 2000 and led MicroRidge to choose QualiFine as a reseller.
“Jay has become one of our top resellers worldwide,” Chisholm said. “The partnership has helped us glean important market intelligence about what customers want regarding features and enhancements to existing products as well as input on possible new products. As a total system integrator, Jay’s field experience, ability to assess customer requirements and his knowledge of how different products can be made to work together as part of an overall solution is a valuable asset and service.”
Based in Sunriver, Oregon, MicroRidge was established in 1983 by John Schuldt, President. The company, a pioneer in its own right, built its reputation by developing and marketing microcomputer-based industrial software systems for statistical process control in lumber manufacturing to assist in lumber recovery efforts. The company introduced the first portable lumber size control system to the timber industry and in 1988 introduced its first gage interface to the general manufacturing market. This early GageWay interface was a simple connection for Mitutoyo gages to a serial port on the PC.
Today, MicroRidge has a suite of products designed to support tailored solutions. Its GageWay Wireless works on the factory floor, in the lab or anywhere an individual needs to connect digital gages and RS-232 devices to a computer without the use of cables. GageWay Interfaces directly link single or multiple gages and serial devices using RS-232, USB or network connections. Real-time data can be fed into Excel using MicroRidge’s WedgeLink family of hardware and software keyboard wedges. The company also continues to introduce new products to support customer needs. “In 2010 we’ll introduce RoverBase, the first mobile handheld device for wireless communication with gages,” said Chisholm, “along with other wireless products.”
MicroRidge supports its product lines with in-depth technical knowledge and support. For resellers like QualiFine, the line offers other advantages. “Any SPC software that can accept data from a serial or USB port can be used with MicroRidge products because of the extensive configuration capability we’ve designed into our products,” said Mike Kryder, Sales Director for MicroRidge. “GageWay configuration files can be saved then used to quickly configure a few or hundreds of units at the same time. Other products on the market may have “setup” software but most do not. This is a significant advantage to the customer and to integrators like Jay. His ability to configure data acquisition hardware and SPC software for a total solution can save customers a lot of money and headaches.”
“MicroRidge has the right approach,” said Bronec, President of QualiFine. “Because their technology is independent, the hardware does all the work. That means less downtime for customers and greater flexibility. The universal aspect of their data collection devices makes it easy to incorporate into a streamlined package tailored to the needs of the customer.”
