We Know What Truly Matters!
Thinking differently
A few months ago, a coworker came to us with a concern. He has a friend that is confined to an electric wheelchair. His friend has a degenerative disease that is slowly affecting his motor skills and eyesight. After years of use, the overlay on the control knob of the wheelchair became worn and increasingly more difficult to read. Due to his faltering eyesight, it was hard to determine what the controls were indicating. The component isn’t something that you can find at the corner store. It’s not even something that the wheelchair manufacturer had spares for. They didn’t consider that someone might be using the wheelchair with a visual impairment.
You can imagine his frustration. His wheelchair is something that he utilizes every day and living without one is not an option. You want something that is such a part of your identity, to look nice because it’s important to you. You also need it to function so that you can resume daily activities. There is a sense of “self” in that simple graphic on the arm of the wheelchair, and he couldn’t replace it.
We wanted to help him by building a new graphic overlay for his wheelchair control. Why? Because we realize that it is important to him and he must be able to see the controls on the wheelchair. The part needs to function appropriately and look good. That one piece makes a difference for him and how he feels about his wheelchair.
Our engineering team decided to re-design it from scratch and manufacture a new one for him. We made the icons bigger and brighter so that he could see it. We improved the durability so it would last. And we added a few extra spares in case he ever needed them.
He was overwhelmed with thoughtfulness. He sent us a thank you letter to show his appreciation for the work and for thinking about him. As a company this makes us feel good. It’s so rewarding to know we’ve impacted someone’s life in a positive way.
Our ‘Why’
We looked at our company and realize that it is the approach we take with everyone we interact with. From our closest customers to our suppliers, to our friends and family. Being curious is why we think the way we do. To be truly exceptional you need to think beyond the ‘what’ and begin to understand the ‘why’.
We realize that we don’t just build Graphic Overlays. We build bright, colorful and durable product markings that help firefighters be seen in low-light and harsh conditions. A firefighter must be able to see and read their equipment while fighting a fire. This could mean the difference between life and death. What we do helps protect lives. Understanding that puts the products we create into perspective.
We realize that we don’t just manufacture Membrane Switches. We build reliable and durable medical device interfaces that can be cleaned and continue to work. We understand that doctors rely on these medical products during surgery. We know that these products need to work because the medical staff, and more importantly, the patients, trust our products will be there when they need them. These products can make the difference between a successful medical procedure and an unfortunate accident. Our products save lives. That’s our ‘why’.
We are unique
We are responsive. BTI believes our responsiveness sets us apart from our competitors. Responding quickly and with enthusiasm garnishes trust. Our customers trust our word and our dedication to follow-through. All our employees constantly monitor make sure that our customers are happy. That’s how we like to be treated and we want to ensure our customers are treated the same way.
We are a family-owned business and we believe that we should treat each other like family. When we care for ourselves, we care for our customers. We are dedicated to our team and our customers. Many of our team have been with us for years because of this approach. We celebrate the little things that make families fun: Birthdays, weddings, kids, anniversaries, etc. It is this approach that makes our team passionate about what they do. It creates passionate relationships between us and our customers. It creates a culture of collaboration and innovation. It doesn’t matter to us if your business is small and family-owned like us, or if you’re on the fortune 500 list, we believe you should be treated like family.
We innovate. BTI is eager to push the envelope of what is capable with today’s technology. We embrace technically challenging projects. Through collaboration, we enjoy creating new methods, ideas, and products. Learning is the most enjoyable part of the development process. Every day we strive to be a better business than what we were yesterday. Embracing new technological challenges allows us to get out of our comfort zone and learn. By expanding our comfort zone to more diverse and technologically advanced products it shows that we are striving to be the best business we can be.
What Matters
When we took this introspective look at ourselves it was obvious to us what we needed to communicate to everyone. We know what truly matters. Caring about ourselves and caring about the people who use our products is the most important thing we can do. We look at every product we make and take a deeper dive into ‘WHY’ that product is important. Whether it saves lives, improves someone’s self-worth or helps make someone’s life easier – it is important to someone. That’s why it matters.
