For the customer: the Polaroid Digital Microscope Camera
In less than one year, Polaroid converted customer input into a finished product-the Polaroid Digital Microscope Camera (DMC). During the fall of 1996, Jim Landrigan, Senior Manager, Medical & Scientific, hit the road with working prototypes to get input from dealers, major microscope manufacturers and-most importantly-microscopists.
Then, in October 1996, Landrigan presented the case to Chris De Bleser, Vice President and General Manager, ProTech and Business Imaging. Even though the project was not part of his 1996 budget, De Bleser found the funding because of his basic belief in supporting efforts that meet customer needs.
So, in the following months, the project team lead by Jim Landrigan, Paul Ernest, Principle Engineer, Commercial Imaging, Steve Richardson, Principle Engineer, Commercial Imaging, and Larry Finn-Welch, Senior Marketing Manager, OEM Group, pushed the project through the system. With Landrigan serving as the marketing program manager, Ernest as the technical program manager, Richardson as manufacturing program manager, and Finn-Welch as sales program manager, this project leadership team had the expertise needed to take this project from customer input to finished camera. While De Bleser was available to remove obstacles, the team had the responsibility and authority to get the job done. "We were an empowered team. We had management support, but no second guessing of our decisions, " shares Landrigan.
By mid-July 1997, only nine months later, Polaroid shipped the first DMCs on-time and within budget.
Polaroid Digital Microscope Camera
The DMC represents the first infusion of digital technology into the ProTech business unit. With a suggested list price of $5995, the Polaroid Digital Microscope Camera (DMC) gives microscopists features that they wanted-like high resolution, 24-bit color images, and built-in C-mount adapter-at an attractive price. The DMC software is compatible with Macintosh OS, Windows 95, and Windows NT operating systems. V
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