Epilogue

The six film processors that I have installed have been running successfully for over five years as of this writing. I have done little to support them. The Vision-DS2 is a machine with few moving parts, and therefore few repairs are required. When Flatley Dental discontinued our contract, they had purchased enough parts to make twenty five units. Fred, the vice president, told me that they would need to keep these parts in their warehouse for two and a half years so that they could be depreciated. Sounded pretty fishy to me, but I accepted his word. I had no choice. He said that they would sell me parts as needed so I could support the beta units. I asked him to please let me know if they were going to dispose of the inventory. He said he would. He asked me if I would like to meet with Jude one last time to say good-bye. I said I would. I didn’t want to argue at our meeting, but just to say thanks for giving it a try. I know they did their best, although, their best was pretty pathetic. But, I had no hard feelings, and I was glad that the incredible effort that I put into the project was finally over. When we first met, Jude was a bit contentious, as if he expected me to be angry. He told me that they had put about 2.5 million dollars into the project, as if he expected me to feel guilty for “my failure”. I mentioned that most of it went to the wrong people. I said that when Moe took over the project, I knew that it was doomed. But I didn’t come to argue with him. I just wanted to say thanks for the try. I told him that I really did appreciate his attempt. We shook hands, and wished each other the best. I will probably never see Jude or Fred again.

I called Fred last week (5/10/07) to let him know that I needed a few parts for the beta sites. A new and unfamiliar voice with an unfamiliar name responded on the voicemail. I thought, “uh oh” again. I left a message to please call me so I could come over and pick up some parts. Takeshi, a Flatley “engineer” called me. He said I was too late. Flatley disposed of the parts several months ago. I said, “You mean all of those beautiful circuit boards, vacuum boxes, and valves were just thrown out in the trash?” “Yes”, was his response. And, “Fred is no longer with us. He left the company six months ago.” And, of course, the “two and a half years that they had to keep inventory” was a fake, as I had suspicioned. The parts are gone, and the vice-president is gone. And that appears to be the end of the Vision-DS2. I really can’t believe they wouldn’t have called me to let me know they were disposing of the parts, so I could at least get a few to support the processors already out. But, that just fits the way they Flatley does business. No surprises here.  Jude, of course, couldn’t allow me to take the parts for the twenty-five processors because if I took them and was successful with their sales, which I would have been, Jude would have looked very bad.  He most likely would have lost his job, and he knew it.

Flatley Dental helped me to get the processor where it is now: a greatly improved model over my first design. They put a lot of money into my project, even though most of it was wasted on Ed, Jeff, and George. At least I was able to see how far my invention could go. I made a great project that was essentially enabled and then destroyed by Flatley. I know that if I was a forty year old man, I would be able to start my own company, and be very successful with the Vision-DS2, QuickScan, and DigiScan. But at this time in my life, I want to enjoy my wife, my son and daughter, my wonderful grand-children, tennis, and golf.  All of that does not leave time for part two of Blume Imaging Inc. But, this was one hell of an adventure. And, of course, you never know. Sometime the phone may ring, and…………………….