An Interview with Tom Marshall, XENON VP of Sales
You’ve heard about all the things Pulsed Light can do. It’s helping to fight the coronavirus in sterilizing applications, from hospitals to airports. It’s used in food processing to sterilize conveyors and packaging. It’s used to cure and anneal materials in a wide range of industries. And these are just some of the applications.
Now, you have an idea for a product that uses Pulsed Light and you want to partner with XENON to bring it to market. How do you design, test, and build it? How do you turn your idea into a successful product?
Recently I spoke with XENON VP of Sales Tom Marshall to find out how the company helps partners make their Pulsed Light product a reality.
Tom Marshall, VP of Sales, XENON Corporation
Q: How does a product developer get started working with XENON?
A: First we learn about the application and what the developer wants to create. Then we send them our OEM system, which includes the basic components of any Pulsed Light system–high-voltage power supply, controller, lamp, and housing. This allows the inventor to develop the validation needed for the application.. XENON manufactures many sizes and shapes of lamps, so if one doesn’t do the job, another likely will.
Q: Do you work closely with partners during development?
A: Yes, we do. For example, we’re talking to a company now that wants to make a sterilizing product for use in PHARMA Clean rooms. When they ran into problems, we went to their site with an engineer to work with them. We helped them experiment with different energy and frequency settings, and within three weeks, they had 100% validation. They were very happy because we were able to sell them a solution, not just a product.
Q: How do you validate that a solution is effective in the application?
A: Every application is unique, so ultimately, it’s up to the partner to validate the end product. But we help in many ways. XENON has a microbiology lab with extensive data on the effectiveness of our Pulsed Light in various disinfecting scenarios, and we share that with our partners. We also have the ability to run special tests upon request. And as I mentioned, we’ll work with the partner to fix issues they may encounter along the way. Our goal is the same as the partner’s: to bring an effective product to market.
Q: Do you customize lamps and other components for the application?
A: No, there’s almost never a need for customization. In fact, customizing would only slow down the process and increase costs for our partners. XENON creates such a wide range of lamps and other components that there’s no need to reinvent the wheel. For example, we have lamps as small as a few inches up to 36 inches, and every kind of shape–spiral, straight, circular, you name it. We also offer various controller configurations that combine in many different ways. All of this makes it relatively easy to assemble Pulsed Light into the configuration needed.
Q: Once the product is finished, do you help manufacture it?
A: Typically, we provide the components and all the knowledge to back them up, so the partners can manufacture successfully. However, we do sometimes manufacture subassemblies, where we put our components together ahead of time and send them in a package and configuration that allows the partner to just plug it right into their product on their manufacturing line. For example, that’s what we did with our partner Steribin, who makes a system for sterilizing the plastic bins used at nearly all airport security checkpoints.
Q: Do you help to install and support the end product?
A: Pulsed Light can be a complex technology, so to support our partners, XENON has contracted with a major integration firm that has the ability to perform installations at customer sites and provide any necessary service. This gives our support capabilities a global reach, so we offer assistance anywhere in the world.
Q: What if I don’t have a product in mind yet, but I want to research the possibilities. Can XENON help with that?
A: Definitely. The XENON X1100 system is specifically designed for basic research on Pulsed Light. It’s a low-cost, benchtop system that OEMs can use to research and identify new applications or products. So basically, XENON assists the entire development process, from initial R&D to ongoing service and support.
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There’s a world of Pulsed Light applications waiting to be discovered and developed. As the Pulsed Light experts, XENON has the technology and experience to help you build this exciting technology into your application.
If you have a product idea for Pulsed Light, you’re invited to contact the XENON team here. They’re ready to help you get started today.