History of opex

OPEX^® Corporation is coming up on its 50th anniversary since the company was acquired by the Stevens family in 1975. From its humble beginning as a mail automation company with only eight employees in the 1970s, OPEX has grown to have over 1,600 employees currently and continues to develop cutting-edge technology for warehouse automation, document automation, and mail automation, creating innovative solutions that help our customers now and in the future.

1970

The 70s began an era of transformation for OPEX^® Corporation. Al Stevens discovered OPEX mail automation during his time at Columbia Records. He developed a close relationship with OPEX and was offered a role as National Sales Manager. He and his wife, Joanna, packed up their family and moved from Indiana to NJ. In 1975, the Stevens were presented with the opportunity to purchase OPEX and began the Company’s successful turnaround.

Al Stevens Streamlines Mailroom Operations of Columbia Records
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1971

1975

Al and Joanna Stevens purchase OPEX Corporation
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Model 40 RED (Rapid Extraction Desk) Introduced
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1976

1979

Model 43 RED (Rapid Extraction Desk) Launched
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1980

In the 1980s, Al Stevens was determined to continue reducing the amount of operator intervention needed to run the RED systems and increase efficiency. OPEX developed faster and more advanced versions of the RED mail opening and extraction system with the Model 45 RED, further improving mail operations for its customers. OPEX also began to introduce new products, such as the Model 24 Flats Extraction desk for flat mail and the System 100 high-speed envelope opener.

Model 45 RED (Rapid Extraction Desk) Introduced
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1980

1983

Model 48 RED (Rapid Extraction Desk) Introduced
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1987

Introduction of System 100
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1990

The 1990s continued to be a successful time for OPEX as the company was continuing to grow domestically and beginning to expand internationally into Europe. Demand for automation was high as customers wanted to keep up with new technology and economic growth, leading to more innovative mail handling solutions from OPEX.

United Kingdom and France Offices Opened
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1990

1994

System 150 Launched
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OPEX Acquires Omation
Corporation
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1994

1998

MPS 40, Incoming, Outgoing, & Wholesale Lockbox Sorter is Released
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2000

As OPEX continued its success into the 2000s, the company continued its goal of developing new and innovative technology to continue helping its customers succeed, especially as the online world began to grow. With the increased adoption of digital technology, OPEX added scanning capabilities to its RED systems, starting with the AS3600i scanner. OPEX broadened its product line significantly, also adding the OPEX Eagle^® high-speed remittance processor and the Mail Matrix^® mail sorter, which would eventually pave the way for OPEX’s breakthrough into the warehouse automation market.

3600i (and 3600t) Check/Document
Scanner
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2003

2005

EAGLE® High-Speed
Remittance Processor
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Introduction of Mail Matrix^® Mail Sorter
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2007

2010

The 2010s proved to be a significant and exciting decade for OPEX. The company continued to rapidly grow, especially with the creation of its material handling and warehouse automation division. OPEX expanded globally launching the Perfect Pick^® goods-to-person system, the Falcon^® series of scanners, Perfect Pick HD (High Density) system, and the Sure Sort^®automated sorting system. OPEX also made a sizeable investment in sustainable energy by implementing a new solar field that would power the company’s in-house manufacturing processes.

Introduction of Perfect Pick^®
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2013

2014

Introduction of Falcon^® Series of Scanners
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Introduction of Perfect Pick^® HD and Sure Sort^®
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2017

2020

From 2015, OPEX doubled their talent with over 1600 employees world-wide. This growth fueled brand-new innovative solutions for warehouse, document, and mail automation as well as more office locations. In 2022, OPEX launched the Infinity™ AS/RS at MODEX 2022 and the Gemini™ scanner with Right-Speed™ scanning technology in April 2022, adding to its catalog of cutting-edge technology. While the past few decades have been eventful, we’re more excited than ever about the many wonderful changes and innovations that will occur in the years ahead.

Introduction of
Infinity™ AR/RS
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2022

2021

Plano, Texas Facility Opens
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EMEA Headquarters
in Germany
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2022

Introduction of Gemini™ Right-Speed™ Scanning more >>

1971

As the Assistant to the Vice President at Columbia Records in 1971, Al Stevens transformed the way the company handled mail by implementing the System 4.0, the first OPEX machine ever made.

1975

Deciding to take the chance on a new business opportunity, Al Stevens along with his wife Joanna, purchased OPEX Corporation in 1975, saving the company from going out of business.

1976

In 1976, OPEX introduced the Model 40 RED (Rapid Extraction Desk), a semi-automated system that would open envelopes for the operator to extract the contents. This system was the second RED, preceded by the Model 30 RED. With the development of this system, OPEX was able to sell more systems, fueling the company’s growth.

1979

Similar to the Model 40 RED, OPEX developed the Model 43 RED as a way to continue improving the Rapid Extraction Desk product. The Model 43 RED was the first system to automatically cycle once the contents have been removed from the envelope, rather than the foot pedal and timer systems used in older models. Further automating the process made the machines more efficient and paved the way for future models that would soon become even more advanced.

1980

1983

In 1983, the Model 48 RED replaced the Model 47 RED one year after its creation. The Model 48 RED included new improvements such as both top- and side-letter cutters, one- or two-sided envelope opening, a STREAM unit, Content Activation, microprocessor controls, candling, and an optional Mail Caddy.

1987

In 1987, OPEX introduced the System 100, the first OPEX system to automatically feed, open, extract, and sort envelopes and contents at a speed of 10,000 envelopes per hour. The System 100 included a feature where if a jam occurred at one point in the machine, it would still continue to run.

1990

In 1990, OPEX hired its first international employees to work in sales and service. Offices were established across Europe, including the UK and France.

1994

As demand for automated remittance and lockbox processing gained popularity, OPEX developed the System 150 to replace the System 100. The System 150 included more advanced features than the System 100, providing an even more reliable system for OPEX's customers.

1994

In 1994, OPEX acquired Omation Corporation, a manufacturer of small letter-opening machines that would open envelopes using milling-cutting technology. Acquiring Omation allowed OPEX to offer the Omation envelope openers Models 306 and 306s, as well as the 210 and 410 Envelopener^® series.

1998

With the company continuing to grow, OPEX began to expand into outgoing mail sorting with the introduction of the MPS 40, which could sort both incoming and outgoing mail..

2003

OPEX introduced the AS3600i in 2003 as an improvement to its RED systems, adding integrated scanning to its mail opening and extracting products. For the first time, OPEX customers were able to automatically open mail and scan the contents in one workflow. The AS3600t was also available as a scanner only.

2005

An improvement of the OPEX System 150, the Eagle high-speed remittance processor was introduced in 2005. This system was designed to be more advanced than OPEX's previous remittance processors, allowing customers to have more flexibility in their operations.

2007

The Mail Matrix mail sorter was introduced in 2007 to ease the burden of manual mailroom operations. This revolutionary system uses iBOT® wireless robotic vehicles to sort mail and small parcels added to the system automatically. The development of iBOT technology gave birth to OPEX launching into the materials handling and warehouse automation market.

2013

The successful roll-out of the Mail Matrix mail sorter led OPEX to believe that this technology was well-suited to handle order fulfillment. In 2013, OPEX launched the Perfect Pick goods-to-person order fulfillment system which utilized the iBOT technology, establishing the company's warehouse automation division. This product was designed to save time and labor by eliminating the need to walk miles throughout a warehouse to find items.

2014

In 2014, OPEX continued to develop its document and mail automation products, launching the Falcon document scanners that integrate with the Model 72 RED, (Falcon RED). This scanner included new features and upgrades from the older AS3600 scanning models, further allowing customers to significantly increase their efficiency and reduce costs.

2017

In 2017, OPEX expanded its line of warehouse automation products with the Sure Sort^® automated sorting system. This automated sorter also utilized the iBOT robots to sort small items into an array of bins for ecommerce, order fulfillment, and reverse logistics. In addition to the Sure Sort system, OPEX also introduced the Perfect Pick HD (High Density) system, allowing customers to store more inventory in their Perfect Pick system.

2022

In March 2022, OPEX launched the all-new Infinity™ AS/RS at MODEX 2022. This system features new Infinity iBOTs that now have the ability to travel freely throughout the entire system while the operators fulfill orders from the presentation port. Infinity AS/RS is a new solution that allows customers to achieve significant gains in throughput and efficiency in a wide variety of applications while saving on labor and space.

2021

In 2021, OPEX opened a new facility in Plano, Texas. This acquisition was designed to accommodate OPEX’s rapid growth in the warehouse automation industry and leverage the area’s diverse high-technology talent pool. Situated on a seven-acre property, the rear-load, Class A building is comprised of over 114,000 square feet, 43,000 of which are mezzanine office space. The property is located in the heart of Plano’s research and technology zone allowing OPEX to access a highly skilled, diverse labor market from which the company can continue to add to its workforce.

2022

In late 2022, OPEX opened its European headquarters in Duisburg, Germany. The facility will serve as a centralized European hub for clients and partners to discover, test, and interact with OPEX’s innovative warehouse automation and document and mail automation technologies designed to improve workflow and drive efficiencies in infrastructure.

2022

In April 2022, the all-new Gemini™ scanner with Right-Speed™ scanning technology was unveiled to the world. This new solution allows customers to scan a wide variety of mixed documents at high and low speeds with OPEX's CertainScan® 6.0 software.