Load Monitoring Specialist Straightpoint Settles Into New U.S. Facility

Straightpoint Inc. is poised to achieve its growth potential having moved to a new facility in Camarillo, California, representing a significant dawn for the U.S. subsidiary of the load monitoring technology specialist.

Five years after introducing its force measurement, load monitoring and suspended weighing load cell portfolio to the North American market, Straightpoint has raised its profile significantly and has recently welcomed three new members of staff. This is the company’s second Camarillo base, having relocated from nearby Ventura three years ago.

John Molidor, the general manager of the U.S. operation, said, while the new location was chosen largely due to the practicalities of square footage, price and proximity to the previous location for ease of relocating inventory, the move has energized a business that director David Ayling, who is based out of Hampshire headquarters in the U.K., had already slated for 20-30% annual growth over the next five years.

Molidor explained: “We have spent five years positioning ourselves in the marketplace and conducting a thorough analysis of the North American rigging industry. I am having conversations with Professional Engineers on a daily basis and we have a clear sense that the business has evolved to a point where we are entering a new phase of development. It is the dawn of an exciting new era for us and the new facility is very symbolic.”

He added: “The Camarillo property is dedicated to sales, marketing and distribution of Straightpoint products to North, Central and South America. It serves our rapidly growing customer base very efficiently. The large inventory and skilled staff allow same day order processing and in most cases same day dispatch.”

Meanwhile, Molidor has highlighted three areas of focus for his leadership of the Camarillo operation. The first is educational in that he hopes to capitalize on the growing understanding in end user markets that there are fundamental differences between weighing and dynamic load monitoring.

“Weighing and load monitoring are often perceived as being the same but they are very different,” he explained. “We provide equipment to businesses who simply have a need to know the weight of a concrete casting but monitoring the pick points of dynamic loads that weigh 400t while they are being moved is a different process altogether. It is important that we continue to differentiate between those capabilities to drive our growth. We can provide that dynamic information 100% wirelessly, straight to a PC.”

The second focus is related to the perception that Straightpoint products are increasingly being used in high profile environments. Landmark or photogenic applications will be a ripe source for the increased rate of promotional campaigns that the business hopes to implement and Molidor will continue to strive for increased participation with high profile clients such as NASA and Rolls Royce, for example.

Finally, Molidor acknowledged that the ongoing success of the business will be underscored by growing market share. He said: “Straightpoint currently holds only a small fraction of the North American load monitoring market despite the fact that our product is so widely acclaimed for its capabilities. Looking at the bigger picture it’s true to say we are still relatively unknown; there is only one way we can go from here.”

Ayling and Molidor make no secret of the fact that they hope to expand the business further to a more central location. Molidor said: “Houston is the undisputed leader in domestic and international business. The city is also known as the ‘energy capital of the world’. Most of the industries we serve—oil and gas, shipping, wind energy and construction to name a few—are domestically headquartered in Houston. There is no better location to serve the North American load monitoring market.”