Pronk Technologies

Pronk Technologies develops specialized diagnostic tools for biomeds working in the field. The company cultivates an environment of old-fashioned reliability for its customers while taking a modern approach to product development. 24x7 recently spoke with Karl Ruiter, president of Pronk Technologies (South Pasadena, Calif) about how the company successfully operates with its delicate mixture of modern and traditional practices.

24x7: Pronk operates from a variety of beliefs contributed by its principal partners; what are these beliefs, and what role did they play in the company’s development?

Karl Ruiter: Most of the partners in Pronk worked together and grew up, professionally, in the early days of Medical Data Electronics (MDE). It was a challenging and high-growth environment when we started.

From MDE we developed a deep knowledge of vital signs monitoring and a love for developing small, rugged products. Our shared experiences working for the same vital signs monitor and patient simulator manufacturer have resulted in us sharing several core beliefs. For example, we believe customers deserve solid products, and this takes a real effort. We’re committed to service, and we believe in straight, fair dealings. MDE did not discount its products at a time when it was very standard to do so. The company offered the same standard prices to everybody, which was very unusual at that time.

Also from our experience at MDE, we developed a belief that we should grow from earnings instead of going into debt in order to grow. We believe in manufacturing and employing people locally, and that “feet on the street” direct sales is an excellent way to interact with customers.

These are the sorts of concepts that are ingrained in us from having worked together for a successful manufacturer. Over time, we all left MDE individually, and gradually reformed as Pronk. At first we were consulting and doing device design and test system design under contract for various clients. Eventually, we decided we wanted to market our own products, and we decided to focus on equipment for biomeds. This was largely because we felt we had a lot in common with them and that we understood their needs.

24x7: What does Pronk Technologies offer to the biomedical industry?

Ruiter: Our goal is nothing short of revolution. I say that with a smile, but we want to develop equipment that really changes the way biomeds work, makes their job easier, and ultimately leads to better care for patients. The current embodiment of that idea is the SimCube, which brings solid NIBP simulation to biomeds who, in the past, were constrained by budget, weight limits, and the ruggedness of the work environment. Surprisingly, most biomeds don’t have convenient access to portable NIBP simulation.

We designed the SimCube to be small and rugged so technicians can throw it in the toolbox with everything else. We also designed the SimCube so it could be priced much lower than what an NIBP simulator could have commanded because we wanted to make sure that everyone who needed one could get one.

24x7: How does Pronk market its products?

Ruiter: We have three prongs to our marketing strategy, and we are constantly shifting things around trying to find the best balance. We sell through several national distributors, but most of our sales come from having feet on the street—preferably people who have worked on the bench, people who have traveled with heavy toolboxes, and people who understand what the SimCube can do for biomeds. We also do some direct mailings.

Part of the reason I think “feet on the street” works for us is because the product is so small and affordable, people don’t believe it will work until they see it. We designed the product with a visible mechanism so that if you turn it around, you can watch it working. We initially did that because it was fun, but it turned out that once people saw the device working, they immediately understood how and why it worked.

24x7: What issues have influenced the operational strategies of the company? What has Pronk done to overcome these issues?

Ruiter: The big issue for us right now is that biomeds are busy people, and they’re focused on getting their work done; This makes them hard to reach. If we can’t reach them, we can’t bring them tools to make their jobs easier, which is our mission. We find that we have to go out and meet people face to face in their shops. We love doing that. We enjoy the people we meet, but it is slow, and we can only expand the effort at a certain rate.

24x7: Where do you see the biomedical industry and Pronk Technologies in 5 years?

Ruiter: I suspect that biomeds will be even more mobile. A lot of our customers don’t only work from a bench, they work out of their toolboxes. I believe that in the future, even in hospitals, the industry is going to see more biomeds on the floor investigating concerns and checking devices on the spot because it’s more efficient—and we can make equipment that will help them do that.

I also think there will be increased pressure from biomeds for time-saving tools. Biomeds don’t want to walk up to the fifth floor of a building four buildings over, pick up the device, carry it down to the shop, check it out, and then carry it back. It’s more efficient if they can do it in one trip, and I think they’re going to want that kind of efficient mobility.

My dream for Pronk in 5 years is that we go from where we are now, which is pretty much an unknown company, and transform ourselves into a company that has such a reputation for revolutionary, quality, useful products that, when we introduce a product, even if no one has ever heard of that type of technology before, they already know they’re going to love it and that it’s going to make their work easier and allow them to be more effective. We want to see biomedical engineers continue to gain in respect and reputation throughout the health care industry. We want to have direct impact on that growth, and in turn grow our business as well. Lucky for us, it’s already starting to happen.

24x7: What would you like 24x7 readers to learn about Pronk Technologies?

Ruiter: As a biomed, if you call us up with a question or an idea, chances are, you’ll speak to one of the primary partners. You can actually talk to the person who designed the product and get technical answers down to whatever level you are interested.

Most companies have a front line that screens customers when they call to ask technical questions about the devices. The trouble with this screening process is that often, the front line screens too much out. I think being more available and having direct contact enables us to make our product better and simplify the job of those who use it. Because we are focused on staying close to the customer’s needs, we are able to rapidly respond to our customers’ requests for new features and products.