By
Duncan Adams
Goal: Build a better doormat.
Make it tacky. As in "sticky."
And the world will beat a dusty path to your door. At first blush, the task sounds a tad mundane for the "transformational technology" gurus at The Egg Factory of Roanoke, the same folks who'd like to introduce the world to electro-active eyeglass lenses and affordable plasma flat-panel televisions.
Gut a Tech-Mat and you won't recover a microprocessor, fiber optic cable, or even a lowly AA battery. In fact, the Tech-Mat might have more in common with flypaper than, say, a flying carpet. But Egg Factory officials insist the mat, when and if it actually rolls off production lines, will provide users with a cleaner, healthier home.
"This really is an example of a remarkably innovative product being developed right here in the Roanoke Valley," said Brad Blum, innovation project manager for The Egg Factory LLC, founded by Blum's father, Ron. "We've really taken a pretty ordinary product and redefined it."
On Tuesday, The Egg Factory said it has received notice that two vital patent applications for its Tech-Mat have been allowed by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, a development Blum said helps assure protection from would-be competitors.
"These patents pretty much lock the door for us on this opportunity," he said. The Egg Factory has applied for seven additional patents for proprietary features of the Tech-Mat.
Think of the Tech-Mat as a sort of giant lint roller. It pairs a moisture-absorbing, carpeted base with a sticky section that features disposable, peel-away tacky sheets that collect dirt and debris from shoes. Kimberly Burch, director of finance for The Egg Factory, said research suggests Tech-Mat would be well received by consumers. "We believe in time Tech-Mat has the potential to exceed $1 billion in annual sales for the acquirer," Burch said.
Blum said market research suggests the retail price for the mat would range between $19.99 and $29.99, with the price for a one-month supply of disposable inserts ranging from $2.99 to $4.99. Blum said The Egg Factory developed the concept for the mat after his father and other company officials toured high-tech manufacturers and their "clean rooms" where visitors sometimes don special clothes and trod across adhesive "tacky mats" to peel dirt off shoes. He said Ron Blum and others believed "tacky mats" could be adapted for home use.
"We thought, 'If it's good enough for a clean room, why isn't it good enough for someone's entryway?'" he said, noting that consumer research suggests growing demand for innovative home cleaning products. One early hurdle - "tacky mats" designed for industry tended to become extremely slippery when wet, a reality that could stir anxiety for liability-leery homeowners. The Egg Factory "put together a world-class development team," said Blum, to tackle design challenges, conduct market research, and hack a path toward either licensing or selling the Tech Mat technology to a Fortune 500 company that would produce and distribute the mat.
Strategic partners have included Arthur D. Little Inc., Martin Research, Bally Design and E.F. Tuttle & Associates of Roanoke. Sunder Malkani, Egg Factory's vice president for marketing and business development, said Tech-Mat is moving closer to launch. "We are currently in the process of either selling or licensing this golden 'egg,'" Malkani said. "There is tremendous interest in Tech-Mat from a number of Fortune 500 companies, including some which are Fortune 100-plus companies."
Duncan Adams can be reached at 981-3324 or duncana@roanoke.com
Caption: Photo - AMBER WENDT THE ROANOKE TIMES Brad Blum, Innovation Project Manager at The Egg Factory in Roanoke, shows the new Tech-Mat the company has developed. The mat pairs a moisture-absorbing, carpeted base with a sticky section that features disposable, peel-away tacky sheets that collect dirt and debris.
ROANOKE TIMES
Date: January 10, 2001
Section: VIRGINIA
Page: A1
