Over 40 Years of High Voltage Solutions
A Message from VMI President, Dennis Kemp
Ken passed from this life on Sunday, July 10th, 2022. Ken was a great friend and mentor for more than 40 years.
Ken was responsible for creating and building VMI’s sales and sales rep system. I recall many occasions where customers were upset by a problem sometimes real—sometimes perceived. When I was reacting in a panic, Ken would respond rather enthusiastically with something like “great—we have an opportunity to impress the customer with our response.” I eventually saw that he was right, even though I still try to avoid those types of “opportunities”.
In the early days of VMI, Ken and I reviewed our plan every day, and he was always optimistic and encouraging, even when the outlook was dim. Ken had an exceptional ability to see customer application opportunities, when it was not obvious. He repeatedly used the phrase that he did not try to “sell” products—he tried to “educate” the customer and provide a solution to their problem.
I recall a specific situation, in the first year of business, when a prospective customer visited our meager manufacturing operation. After a brief tour, we took the customer on an afternoon drive into the nearby Sierra Nevada mountains. Unfortunately, my car broke down and I was devastated as we were stranded in a remote area. As we waited for assistance, Ken walked the visitors to a large granite rock, sat down, and convinced them to give us a large purchase order—on the rock. They remain a large customer of VMI to this day.
Ken traveled many thousands of miles visiting customers and sales reps. On one occasion, he drove his motor home on a lengthy tour across the entire USA and back, making customer visits and meeting with sales reps.
I have had the great honor to partner with Ken, he was not only an exceptional business partner, but also a good friend.
I will never forget the trust and commitment that we had. Without Ken, VMI would not have achieved the level of success that we enjoy today.
Rest in peace, my friend.
Dennis Kemp
VOLTAGE MULTIPLIERS INC. was incorporated in December 1980 to design, manufacture and market high voltage semiconductor products. VMI initially designed and produced high voltage multipliers. The addition of high voltage diode manufacturing capabilities led the way to expanding our facilities and product lines to include custom high voltage power supplies.
The nature of VMI’s business requires a high degree of engineering service and follow-up customer support. VMI’s products are custom designed for military, industrial, medical, aerospace and other high-reliability applications operating at the leading edge of known technology.
The general market for VMI products is semiconductor power conversion devices, assemblies and systems. VMI has developed some of the world’s fastest switching rectifiers, and our growing product line of custom high voltage power supplies is being utilized in various applications worldwide.
When you look for high voltage power supply designers, important things to consider include the company’s methods of design verification, prototype capability, design-for-manufacturability skills, the ability to transition from prototype to production scale, and standard and custom testing.
At VMI, we are committed to quality and service. We are here to assist you throughout the production process, from design development to production manufacturing. We offer extensive testing, design verification, production support and custom design services.
All of VMI’s products are made and 100 percent tested at our facility in Visalia, California, USA.