Doron simulators take a new road

CNY Business Journal (1996+), Nov 07, 2003 by Spohr, George

BINGHAMTON - Doron Precision Systems, Inc. was founded in 1973 as a creator of simulation systems for beginning drivers.

But as school districts grapple with tighter state-aid packages, driver-training programs are usually the first to get cut. So Doron adapted to the new marketplace, and now it's an industry leader in various types of entertainment and trainingsimulation systems.

Its entertainment consoles have made it to places such as the Milton J. Rubenstein Museum of Science & Technology in Armory Square in Syracuse. And clients for its training systems - most of which are in the law-enforcement, trucking, and transit industries - include major industry players such as New Jersey Transit. The company, which has annual revenues between $5 million and $10 million, is now more profitable than it would've been if it had stayed the course in developing only driver-training systems, say company officials.

"We see, [continued growth] in our drivingsimulation market," says Donald E. Wenzinger, Doron's president. Even though the transit industry is relatively new to the company, "we see further potential in those areas" than in the new-driver's market.

Since 1973, Doron expanded its engineering and manufacturing capabilities. It boasts an in-house, audiovisual, softwaredevelopment department, which means Doron is able to customize systems for individual clients. A customer might want a specific dashboard, Wenzinger says, and Doron is able to mass-produce simulation systems with a non-standard dash. NJ Transit, for example, had that exact request for its simulation order.

"Many of our customers have unique applications," Wenzinger explains. "We need to have capabilities in-house to modify our systems for the needs of our customers."

For NJ Transit's order, Doron did everything in Binghamton, from making the mold, to designing the simulation system, to "pulling" the plastic, and installing the software. "We can do that rapidly" without waiting on outside companies to get their products to Binghamton, Wenzinger says.

The company's success comes not only in its three decades in the driving-simulation industry - a claim Wenzinger says his competitors in the entertainment industries can't match - but also in its driving-safety programs.

"We're a technology and traffic-safety company," he says. "Our biggest strength is that we can better apply technology for the needs of the market" because Doron has inhouse experts who are trained in law-enforcement, vehicular safety, truck safety, and transit-vehicular safety. They work with engineers each step of the way as they build the hardware and customize the software behind the simulators.

Prices for Doron's products range from $4,000 for a drivingsimulation model, which is the size of a driver's seat and steering wheel in a passenger car, to several hundreds of thousands of dollars for its largest model, which is the size of an actual rig's cabin.

The company's products are found not just in New York, but across the globe. Wenzinger says Doron's simulation systems are in more than 60 countries. He boasts that the company "penetrated every continent." An entertainment simulator the company will ship out over the next few weeks, for example, is bound for Saudi Arabia.

The company's appeal outside of New York created a problem where Doron would need to provide service and repairs to customers across the country. It has eight service centers in different parts of the United States that are dispatched the same day customers call. Wenzinger says of his client list of more than 1,800, "several hundred" have service agreements with Doron.

Despite its national and international appeal, Wenzinger says Doron is committed to staying in the Southern Tier as "a small, upstate New York company."

BOTW PROFILE

*

Donald E. Wenzinger

President

Doron Precision Systems

* Age

* Education: B.S. in finance and economics from Ithaca College

* Residence: Vestal

* Family: Wife, three children

* Favorite Part of the Job: Interacting with so many people

* Hobbles: Playing and coaching hockey, golfing, spending time with family

* Favorite Type of Books: Self-improvement and management books

* Favorite Genre: Comedies

* Favorite Magazines: Sports and business magazines

BOTW FACTS

*

Doron Precision Systems

174 Court St.

Binghamton, N.Y. 13902

Phone: (607) 772-1610

Fax: (607) 772-6760

www.doronprecision.com

* Type of Business: Simulation systems

* Founded: 1973

* Square Footage: 120,000 square feet

* Employees: 50

* Key Officers: Carl J. Wenzinger, chairman and CEO; Donald E. Wenzinger, president; Owen "Bill" Murray, vice president; Michael Stricek, vice president; Brett Nickerson, treasurer.

* Annual Revenues: $5 million to $10 million