MSE's welding process is used in both laser and inkjet manufacturing and the company currently welds more than 20 models with 11 cartridge-specific welders. The most recent development is MSE's EX welder, which eliminates cartridge complications that result from splitting this cartridge. "Although it is an older model, it is still one of most popular," Yoel said. "Our research indicates that we can actually make our existing EX cartridges even better."

In 2003, MSE developed and patented a new computer-guided laser-cutting process for manufacturing. It was developed to increase production efficiencies and enhance product performance through precise splitting of the HP 9000. "This cartridge is a real challenge," Avi said. "Because it is chemically bonded together, they (the OEMs) said that you cannot open this cartridge. When our engineers saw this challenge, they quickly went to work, and after 18 months of R&D, they perfected it." The first use of the MSE laser was to split the HP 9000 cartridge. To split this cartridge, most companies utilize a rotary cutting mechanism and are cut open by hand. This process took MSE technicians approximately 45 minutes to complete. The MSE laser reduced this time to less than four minutes, and has enabled MSE to turn out more than 200 HP 9000 cartridges a day. "The real implication of this technology is more far-reaching than just the 9000." Avi said. "We are already developing other applications."

The company feels the real potential and impact of this technology will be apparent when manufacturers like HP decide to release the same technically challenging designs on lower-priced cartridges. For example, the time and effort spent to remanufacture by cutting an HP 9000 model that has a $250 price tag may be justifiable. However, if Hewlett-Packard fully encapsulates its sub-$100 cartridges and it takes the same 45 minutes to split those cartridges using conventional methods, profitability will become more difficult to achieve. Avi added, "In the future, our Patented Laser Cutting Technologies may be the only solution in some cases."

Team Efforts

Walking the production floor with Yoel, the area is a buzz of activity and full of smiles. Yoel greets his employees by their first names, shakes hands and stops to chat briefly about families and work. It is obvious that Yoel's presence on the production floor is not an uncommon occurrence and the staff seems to be at ease with him watching them work. He knows in detail what everyone is doing and how long they have been with the company. There was a time, not so long ago, when the focus of Yoel's job was drums and wiper blades. Now, MSE's teams - Engineering, Research and Development, Quality Control and Production - are entrusted with maintaining the integrity of the MSE brand.

"If Yoel or I get on the phone and make a promise, we no longer get off our chair and physically go make sure that every screw is done right. We have teams behind us that take pride in MSE quality," Avi said. "We are nothing without our team and that is why our employees' well-being is a top priority.

"In the past few years, we have also expanded our Customer Care, Graphics and Marketing departments. We have some fantastically talented people who are committed to the customer. I could not be more proud of every employee and their efforts. Our Customer Care team works hand in hand with sales. We have paired them up to provide solutions for our customers and empowered them to make important decisions," Avi said.