SMT Growth in 2002

While Schroeder Measurement Technologies (SMT) has grown significantly over the past few years, the future now seems even brighter as expansion and technology propel us forward. Within the past year, SMT has experienced a wave of growth including office expansion, new departments, a new digital telephone system, a new T1 line, and an updated network system. Also, new printing presses have replaced the aging machines, which allows for a more streamlined exam booklet and document manufacturing process.

In January of 2002, it became apparent that SMT was going to outgrow the current office space in the near future, so the company’s president and vice president, Lee Schroeder and Matt Wenger, began searching for solutions. Because of the large amount of equipment and number of files that would be affected, the decision was made to expand into a vacant space within the current building. This new space is connected to the existing space, and adds nearly 2,500 square feet.

Currently, SMT’s Test Administration Department uses this new space, while Management Information Systems, as well as the Business Development, Accounting, Test Development, and Research and Development Departments use the existing space.

The Business Development Department is the newest department at SMT, and its sole purpose is to seek out and develop relationships with potential customers. Dick Soule, a veteran marketer in the testing industry, is director of the department, and although it has only been operational for three months, the Business Development Department is expected to significantly increase SMT’s business potential.

Once the new office space was added, and the new department was formed, it was time to upgrade SMT’s communication technology. This upgrade included a new T1 line for data transmission and a new digital telephone network, which will better serve SMT clients and staff.

Using the new digital telephone network, SMT developed a call center, which places each phone call into a queue. In this case, calls are given an order and held at the call center until the next operator is available. Another feature available with the system is telephone reports, which give the network administrator important information regarding the use of the telephones. These reports include telephone activity, which displays the amount of phone calls made from each telephone, and the amount of time spent on each call. Also, voicemail activity can be reported, which informs the network administrator of the number of times an individual’s voicemail was checked, which ensures that candidates are reached by the intended person.

After installing the new digital telephone network, SMT added a T1 data line to replace the DSL data line. The new T1 line offers SMT faster information and data exchanges both with clients and candidates. This T1 line enables Internet connectivity at speeds up to 2.5 Gbps, which is a huge improvement from the previous data connection with a maximum speed of 256Kbps, making data transfers much more efficient. In addition, new firewalls were installed and new encryption technology was made available company wide.

To increase the efficiency of test booklet publishing, SMT purchased two new presses to replace the aging press. These new machines each print 60 pages per minute, and since there are now two machines, SMT has the ability to print 120 pages per minute. When printing test booklets, the machine only needs to scan the original copy once, storing the information and printing the desired number of copies. Previously, this process was done through continuous scanning.

One major benefit of the new presses is SMT has the ability to store answer sheets onto an electronic storage media (e.g. compact disc or hard drive) by scanning each answer sheet. Currently each answer sheet is physically stored off site, as clients agree to store answer sheets electronically, operational costs will be reduced as the storage costs for these answer sheets will be eliminated.

The past year has been one of upgrades and expansions; however, SMT is still growing ever larger. In the next year, SMT will open three new offices. One of these offices will serve as the Business Development Office, and will be located in the New York – Washington Corridor, while the other two offices will perform administrative functions for SMT’s international clients, and will be located in Hong Kong and London.

The expanded office space, the creation of the Business Development Department, the upgraded communication technology, new presses, and the future expansion will all help Schroeder Measurement Technologies, Inc. upgrade and streamline its business operations.