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United States, Ka...
EARS M...
"1.1 Technological Background The vision to manufacture medical products was at least partly the result of the slowdown in aviation following 9/11. Entz Aerodyne, in business for the past 7 years, has consistently demonstrated the ability to design and manufacture dependable lightweight items including sun-visors, electrical boxes, wire harnesses, sheet metal parts, and mechanical parts for a wide range of applications on commercial aircraft. It is this expertise in manufacturing functional and reliable parts with structural integrity that will help to make the initiative into ultra light wheelchairs a success. 1.2 Entz Aerodyne Inc. Entz Aerodyne is a small privately held corporation just outside of Newton, Kansas. Since their start as a company they have focused on finding niche items that the aircraft manufacturers in Kansas did not have the time to produce or had determined that it was not cost effective to produce in house. The low overhead of Entz Aerodyne and the superior design capabilities of the firm have helped in their success. 1.2.1. Origins and structure In 1997 Keith Entz decided to step out on his own and start a business building aircraft parts for local aircraft manufacturers in Wichita, KS. Due to the downturn of the aircraft industry he decided it would be a good time to begin concentrating on medical devices and use the resources available to develop and produce these parts. In order to expand the capabilities of the project Mr. Entz approached David Kirkwood to become partners in the project. Mr. Kirkwood’s practical experience in wheelchair use and his engineering degree greatly compliment the overall capabilities of the team. Since the new company was formed we have also consulted wheelchair users, physical therapists, and wheelchair retailers to guide our design. In a relatively short period of time a prototype was conceived and an actual ultra-light collapsible wheelchair became a reality. 1.2.2. Mission and goals The mission of Entz Aerodyne Research Solutions is to provide superior solutions for the medical and impaired community who would benefit from lighter weight products and improved functionality. With our first product, an Ultra Light folding wheelchair, the goal is to capture 2-4% of the ultra-light wheelchair market within 5 years of beginning production. Once we are successful in manufacturing manual wheelchairs we intend to expand our product listing to include other solutions for the medical community. 1.3 Scope of startup Production of the ultra-light wheelchair will begin at the Entz Aerodyne primary location in Newton, KS. Assuming current physical resources, we anticipate the manufacture of up to 7,000 wheelchairs per year within five years. Once we have both FDA approval and the required HCPC code for the wheelchair we will undertake an intense advertising campaign to ensure that our product gets off the ground quickly. With the currently pending patent we feel that this will allow a window of opportunity to greatly advance the product awareness of our ...