“Member of the Month” is a new feature of the WTCGP newsletter.   In each edition of our newsletter, we will highlight a different Corporate level (or higher) member to discuss their business, international plans and partnership with the WTCGP.  Our inaugural “member of the month” is VideoRay LLC.

VideoRay, a Phoenixville, PA company in Chester County, was established in 1999 by Scott Bentley.  Bentley came into contact with a group of scuba divers while he was on a skydiving expedition in the North Pole.  One diver suggested that he start a company to develop and market a device that would allow them to explore underwater areas that the then current submersibles were too large to access.  “It [the foundation of VideoRay] was really just a suggestion of a new business opportunity – to build a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) that can be sent into underwater locations that its owners cannot reach, or in layman’s terms, an underwater robot,” said Mr. Bentley.  Today, the company has a staff of 35 employees and a global network of 42 dealers.  With a one-size submersible platform, the company offers a variety of product configurations and accessories appealing to a wide range of end-users.  This business model has helped to place VideoRay’s ROV on every continent, with a range of applications that include potable water tank and off shore oil rig inspection, dams in India and aquaculture nets in Norway.  VideoRay products are also sold with Bertram Yachts.  VideoRay is the only four kilogram ROV in the world.      

The company has a track record of success outside of the U.S. -- “50 percent of our sales are from exports,” Mr. Bentley notes.  Strategically, VideoRay does not differentiate its international business from its domestic business.  Mr. Bentley explains: “Because the U.S. is so big, we [U.S. companies] are comfortable.  People assume international business is prohibitively difficult and they hear horror stories…It is easier now with the internet, and UPS and Fed Ex can go to Sri Lanka just as easily as Chicago.”  Today, VideoRays are sold in 34 countries, ten of which the company has had market-entry assistance from the WTCGP – Brazil, China, Japan, Egypt, Turkey, Jordan, Lebanon, Germany, Singapore and the Netherlands.  “U.S. business drives international business, especially business with the U.S. Coast Guard and Navy,” said Chris Gibson, director of Sales and Marketing, who recently met with representatives from the Norwegian Navy and Coast Guard.  VideoRay is a standard operating tool used by both U.S. military branches and the United States Customs and Border Protection.  The use of VideoRay’s product by these organizations has helped establish relationships with military and government branches in other countries, including the Taiwan Coast Guard, the Canadian Department of Fisheries and Oceans, and Police Forces in Scotland.     

Like all companies VideoRay faces competition.  However, VideoRay does not simply compete with other ROVs, but also with human divers.  In many European countries, where safety regulations are stringent and personnel costs associated with human divers are higher, VideoRay can promote the price competitiveness and cost benefit of its product.  In some countries, such as Malaysia where human divers are paid as little as $50 per day, the company must emphasize product superiority and capability. 

VideoRay’s international dealer network is critically important to its sales success and future growth, particularly in the commercial sector. Dealers need to be creative in finding and educating end-users in a relatively narrowly defined market - any underwater job where an ROV is the more efficient or safer alternative to human divers.  VideoRay has worked closely with the WTCGP for many years to help establish its renowned dealer network. 

Gibson commented, “The WTCGP has helped us to find dealers, either in other regions or working in the same markets [as current dealers] where we have weaker market segment growth.  The WTCGP performs background checks and gives us a list of three to five, or in some countries up to seven, companies to make contact with.  They help bring the interview process along.  The WTCGP helps us focus on other countries with more underwater opportunities and stay aware of regulations that could affect our business.”  For example, recent legislation in Norway mandates regular inspections of aquaculture net waste.  “I encourage people to try [international business], especially if they have a product that is particularly unique. Find people you trust and listen to them.”

Start enjoying the benefits of WTCGP membership today.

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September 16-17, 2009 - Pennsylvania International Week

September 17, 2009 - Philadelphia International Showcase

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