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CUSTOMER-related FAQ
When do you typically become involved in product development for a customer?
How is a customer project generally structured?
What is your business model?

PRODUCT-related FAQ
What are some distinguishing characteristics of your products?
How do you price your products?
What are your standard lead times?
Who owns the product design?

BUSINESS-related FAQ
What are your core competencies?
How large is US MOTION?
How important is your company culture?
Can I arrange a tour of US MOTION?

CUSTOMER-RELATED FAQ

When do you typically become involved in product development for a customer?   (Top)

The success of our business is a direct function of the value we deliver to our customers. With our extensive background in the cross-disciplinary engineering of intelligent, precise, electro-mechanical devices and systems, one of our greatest areas of value for our customers is, in fact, product development. From conceptual design to prototypes to initial production to the troubleshooting of existing products, we can and do become involved at any stage in the development process, based on the particular need. Many of our customers tend to turn over their most tricky, fussy and problematic products over to us for engineering and manufacturing, especially when they are facing seemingly insurmountable obstacles on an existing product development effort.

How is a customer project generally structured?   (Top)

Our initial focus is to understand customer needs, product requirements, desired timeframes, design constraints and project objectives. Once this information is understood, we will create a short proposal and define the scope of work. The project team is formed, typically with a single point of customer contact and the design work commences. With our focus on concurrent engineering, the prototypes are developed in parallel with tooling, fixtures and production documentation. This approach enables us to transition smoothly into production. Based on the magnitude of the work involved, the development costs are shared between the customer and US MOTION.

What is your business model?   (Top)

We provide world-class engineering AND high-mix, low-volume manufacturing of precision electro-mechanical devices and systems to our customers, who are typically larger, well-known manufacturers of technically-advanced offerings. We work diligently to nurture a long-term relationship with each customer and strive to have each view us as their most valued technical partner. We are willing to customize our products for the customer's specific OEM application. To meet customer needs, our engineering, machining and manufacturing capabilities are all tightly integrated and collectively comprise a unique, flexible and focused resource, the likeness of which is rarely found in other companies, even those many times our size.

PRODUCT-RELATED FAQ

What are some distinguishing characteristics of your products?   (Top)

US MOTION products are smart, highly-accurate electro-mechanical devices and systems. The complexity inherent in these products typically requires significant cross-disciplinary engineering (mechanical, electrical, software, etc.) to achieve a successful design. Our customers tend to turn over their most tricky, fussy and problematic products over to us for engineering and manufacturing. These products are generally produced in smaller volumes, numbering in the hundreds or thousands. Our products tend to be high-end, tightly-packaged, aesthetically-balanced devices encompassing numerous innovations and which represent a significant increase in value relative to competitive offerings.

How do you price your products?   (Top)

Our pricing strategy is straightforward. We seek to recover all costs, both direct and indirect, and to achieve a modest profit of 15%. Our principal interest is in developing successful, long-term, mutually-beneficial relationships with our customers rather than achieving short-term profits.

What are your standard lead times?   (Top)

As our products are all made to order, actual lead times are a function of the schedules and capacity experienced by the company at the time the order is placed. Keeping this situation in mind, the lead time for most products falls in the range of four to eight weeks. Lead times are much shorter for quick-turns and small production runs. For new or revised products, the lead time can be significantly impacted by design requirements.

Who owns the product design?   (Top)

In most instances, the design of the new product or system leverages existing US MOTION technologies and innovations and is owned by US MOTION. In select instances, the initial design is developed by the customer and brought to us for modifications, in which case the design would be owned by the customer.

BUSINESS-RELATED FAQ

What are your core competencies?   (Top)

(1) World-Class Engineering
Our highly-credentialed design team has engineered products and systems for some of the most highly respected companies in the world. Our product design and systems engineering approach is multi-disciplinary. We span the breadth of engineering disciplines: mechanical, electrical, firmware, software, motion control, automation, optical, RF, T&M and manufacturing. We employ concurrent engineering and apply a product life cycle view on every project—designing in machinability, manufacturability and serviceability while simultaneously designing out costs and complexity.

(2) Agility & Flexibility
Our business structure and streamlined decision-making allow us to rapidly adjust to the fluctuating needs of our customers. We have in-house precision machining capabilities, low-volume, high-mix manufacturing, a highly-talented and versatile group of engineering and assembly technicians and ample space for expansion. With our ability to quickly adapt, we can accomplish in days what other companies require months to achieve.

(3) Systems Approach
US MOTION is the Smarter Systems Company. Our approach is always a systems approach, meaning that from the onset we consider the desired output of the system as a whole and seek to understand how each piece and component optimally contributes to the performance of the entire system. We are highly regarded for our ability to push intelligence down into the component or assembly level, resulting in efficient, smarter systems. Our systems know-how covers complex components, sophisticated communications protocols, custom interface electronics, custom firmware, motion control, automation, custom software and much more.

How large is US MOTION?   (Top)

US MOTION is a privately-held company with strict policies prohibiting the disclosure of financial or customer information. We are therefore unfortunately unable to share information on revenues or profits outside of the company. However, with respect to other facts about company size, we can say that we have a headcount of approximately 30 FTE's and a facility of roughly 19,000 sq ft.

How important is your company culture?   (Top)

One of our principal objectives in founding US MOTION was to create the company for which we had always wanted to work. For this reason, we consider our company culture to be absolutely critical. Important aspects of our culture include customer service, quality, integrity, teamwork, cooperation and communication. It also includes how we handle conflict, how we address mistakes, how we share rewards and how we help, encourage and mentor one another to achieve our high expectations. For those of us who work here, US MOTION is more than a company, it is a family.

Can I arrange a tour of US MOTION?   (Top)

Absolutely. We welcome visits to our facility and are always happy to accommodate a tour. We would ask simply that you give us advance notice of your requested time via e-mail and we will coordinate the details.