Business Spotlight: Emergent Technology Solutions

Jim Mohan, chief executive officer of Emergent Technology Solutions, loves talking about new technology. Unlike most techno-junkies, however, he doesn't just want to hear about the capabilities of the newest piece of hardware or software. Rather, he wants to know how it can be applied at businesses and manufacturing companies to help them save time and money.

In 2001, Mohan's business partner George Ward bought the existing assets of a Springfield-based technology company and used it to found ETS. He then contacted Mohan, who owned a consulting company called New Ideas Marketing Inc. of Springfield. The two collaborated on several projects, and in March 2002 Mohan became Ward's business partner.

"(Information technology) outsourcing currently accounts for the biggest part of our business," said Mohan. "A company may outsource to us because they don't have enough IT staff to perform the task, or their existing staff doesn't possess the expertise needed."

Much of the IT outsourcing work taken on by ETS' 10- member staff involves developing custom applications for area businesses. The company's personnel also do in-house and on-site database management, set up wireless data collection systems and provide asset-management services.

Support for these functions is provided through the company's support services department, which is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

"We're very proud of the advanced support services we offer our customers," said Mohan. "Everything is done in-house right here in Springfield."

ETS also provides the programming expertise needed to establish and maintain an e-commerce Web site.

"We do e-commerce, but we're not a Web development company," said Mohan.

According to Ward, ETS is able to offer a wide range of services to its customers because of the company's ongoing commitment to continuing education. Employees attend training seminars regularly, and each staff member possesses skills in a number of different areas.

For example, developers are experienced and skilled in development languages such as Visual Basic 6.0, Visual Basic .NET, C and C++ and HTML. Staff members who do database management work have experience working with leaders in the industry such as Microsoft SQL Server, Microsoft Access and Oracle.

Mohan and Ward also do their part to keep abreast of trends in the industry so they can recommend a system that best meets a company's needs. Many of these systems are aimed at small businesses and manufacturers. For example, programmers at ETS can adapt computerized shipping systems such as Compliance Plus to meet the needs of any small business or manufacturer.

The same is true of Visual Jobshop, another software application sold by the company, which helps engineer-to-order and make-to-order manufacturers manage all of their operations from estimating through shipping and invoicing.

According to Mohan, both programs are aggressively priced and are designed to give small- to medium-sized businesses a competitive edge.

ETS also helps businesses and manufacturers manage their assets by providing them with wireless data collection solutions. Mohan predicts that one such solution radio frequency identification, which already is being used in Europe will change the way many companies do business.

"This technology is coming like a wave," he said. "It's bigger than barcode."

In the past, wireless data collection solutions required workers to use handheld scanners to read barcodes on boxes and other materials that were being shipped and received. This technology required the user to establish a clear line-of-sight to the item being scanned, and items were scanned one at a time.

With RFID, however, a clear line of sight isn't needed. A company that uses RFID can scan a box of goods and add it to its inventory systems all at once, without having to unpack the carton and scan each piece separately. Unlike a traditional barcode scanner, an RFID scanner can pick up signals from chips in the sealed box.

Even large quantities of items, such as those contained on a shipping pallet, can be scanned simultaneously. A wider range of information also can be stored on a RFID tag, which allows companies and manufacturers to track their flow of goods more efficiently.

"This technology is out on the edge of the curve, and our customers who use it are innovators," said Mohan.

Springfield architectural firm Butler Rosenbury and Partners is considering using RFID to manage and track all of its business assets. Mohan and Ward believe other Springfield companies will soon follow suit. The two predict that RFID will account for a large part of their company's business in the future.

In the meantime, Mohan and Ward said they plan to continue their aggressive growth pattern, and the company is looking to hire two new employees in the near future.