Physical Therapy Products recently spoke with Steve Stormes of California-based Metron Medical about the company's products and future vision.

How did Metron get its start?

Metron began over 25 years ago in Australia as a small manufacturing company selling purely on the domestic market. Over the years, we have grown to the extent that we now have two large manufacturing facilities and export product to virtually every country in the world.

Why has Metron chosen to open an office in California now?

The United States was the "last frontier" as far as we were concerned. For many years our products had been successful in Europe and throughout Asia, and yet we had not taken on the United States with a major effort. We had made small forays and manufactured products for other companies but not represented ourselves. We now had the product range and the production facilities to satisfy the market in the United States. The United States is such a large and diverse market, we needed to know we had all the right tools in place to open an office and be successful.

What products is Metron known for?

Metron is known for its range of treatment tables, ultrasounds, and stimulators. Soon, we hope it is known for the new range of multi-waveform combination units that will be available in the United States in October 2007. These products feature the latest in touch-screen technology and top-of-the-line electronics.

What sets Metron apart from other companies?

Apart from our economical prices, it is our personal attention to our customers' needs. It is the advantage of being a small company that customers know they are dealing with and get consistent service.

What kind of research do you do for your products? Do you rely on a lot of customer feedback?

We do rely on customer feedback to update our products, but we also develop equipment in conjunction with the latest research and university studies. A number of our pieces of electrotherapy are developed on evidence-based research. An example of this is our new Spinal Sensa™, available in September.

Where do you see Metron in the next 5 years?

In the next 5 years, we would hope to have increased the size of our United States business fivefold. We are constantly developing and releasing new products and see this continuing, and we believe this is the way to keep us on the cutting edge of the market. In 5 years, we hope to be a major player in the United States physical therapy market.