Testing lab says it understands what it takes to get products to market

By Erika Stutzman
Camera Business Writer

As bad as the technology downturn has been, companies still need to launch products, ensure they're up to regulatory standards and even figure out what their warranty offers should be.

Percept Technology Labs in Boulder is around to do just that — from getting computer parts certified to discovering how long a product will last.

The need for companies to get good products to market, in spite of negative growth rates for many tech companies, is what has helped Percept grow its revenues by more than 40 percent a year.

"Companies want to concentrate on their core competencies," said Brian Cleveland, president and chief executive of Percept. He said his labs have helped firms including Exabyte, LeftHand Networks and Conduant Corp. do just that, by leaving all the testing to Percept.

"For the first time ever, people are spending less money on IT (information technology). But they still have to test their products to deliver them."

John Herron is the executive vice president of engineering for Benchmark Storage Innovations in Boulder. The firm hires Percept to do its design verification and test products for compliance on issues like emissions.

"When we were a startup in 1998, we wanted to do a couple things-including getting objective testing of our products by a third party," Herron said.

Herron said by outsourcing such testing, Benchmark-which has been acquired by Quantum-was able to hold down direct expenses.

Benchmark does some early engineering tests in house, but continues to use Percept for more complicated testing.

"It's hard to attract the staff for that, because it requires a lot of knowledge," Herron said.

Percept was founded in Cleveland's basement in 1996.

Today in the firm's seven labs-incidentally named after brands of beer-about 19 engineers place components into environmental chambers to test them under various conditions; shelves are lined with computers with their insides exposed; custom-built machines churn through hardware, simulating a rapid-fire aging process to test its lifespan.

Cleveland said in the new future, he'd like the firm to expand its compliance testing. He said it's a growth market because even medium-sized technology firms want to sell their products abroad.

He is optimistic about the future, saying that with Percept's expertise-his employees have 18 years of testing experience on average-more companies will turn to his firm for the "heavy lifting."

Such optimism is a constant at Percept, even down to the plaques labeling the lab rooms-Red Dog, Molson, and Heineken.

"As big as we will grow, we'll never run out of names for new labs," Cleveland said.

Contact Erika Stutzman at stutzmane@dailycamera.com or (303) 473-1354.

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