OLT Footcare is a local company with an international footprint.

Founded by automotive industry veteran Yong Li, OLT Footcare provides the most advanced and comprehensive additive manufacturing solutions for foot orthotics available today.

“I graduated from McGill University with a PhD in Mechanical Engineering in 2000,” Yong states. “After that, I moved to Windsor and worked in Michigan’s automotive sector for 10 years. There, I used 3D scanning for inspections and measurements.”

However, Yong later discovered that his background in 3D scanning could have other uses.

“One day, I got a phone call from an orthotics lab in Illinois,” Yong recalls. “They wanted to use a scanner to measure people’s feet, and then a 3D printer to create custom orthotics.”

After that fateful call, Yong’s curiosity was piqued. After 3D printers became more economically available, he launched OLT Footcare in 2013.

OLT’s revolutionary in-clinic 3D printing of custom foot orthotics has the potential to transform the entire foot orthotic industry by allowing practitioners to fabricate patient-specific foot orthotics—with the ability to make incremental adjustments right in their offices.

“If doctors don’t have a 3D printer, we can print the orthotics and ship it to them from Windsor,” Yong explains. “If they have a 3D printer in their clinic, we just process the files and send it to them. They can open up the file, review the information, make additional changes and then print the orthotics right then. It takes about three hours.”

OLT Footcare has clients all across the globe, with a wide range of services available. However, in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, Yong’s focus narrowed towards products and services that would enhance safety for Windsorites.

“One of Acenzia BioMed’s clients said that they needed a better dispenser for the hand sanitizer that they purchased from them,” Yong states. “They said that it couldn’t be mounted on a wall because they had a big store. They needed something standing at the entrance so that people wouldn’t miss it.”

Together, Yong and Acenzia designed the Mobile SaniStation: a standing, contactless hand sanitizer dispenser.

“We came up with a stand equipped with auto-sensing dispensers,” Yong explains. “People just put their hands out and the gel comes out.”

The Mobile SaniStation has a battery life of several months, and a tank capable of holding one liter of hand sanitizer—which averages out to 1,000 uses. And, Yong stresses, the device is completely touchless.

This development is indicative of a growing trend in the Windsor’s business ecosystem. According to the WindsorEssex Economic Development Corporation’s Windsor-Essex COVID-19 Manufacturing Capabilities Survey, 60% of local companies were involved in the production of face shields, face masks, medical gowns, ventilators, hand sanitizer, and other new technologies in response to the pandemic. And of those surveyed, over 60% plan to continue producing medical products once the pandemic concludes.

Some of those new technologies include Vista Solutions’ body temperature monitoring system, a temperature monitoring system developed by Eaigle of Markham and Windsor’s DataRealm, and innovative back-to-work solutions from Audacia Bioscience, GaiaDigits and Durobyte.

“Windsor’s a great location,” Yong explains. “It’s very friendly here. You have immediate access to the U.S. market. Housing for our office is really affordable. I think Windsor is a great place to set up a business!”

What’s more, Yong and Acenzia are donating five Mobile SaniStations to local businesses.

“Many of the hand sanitizer manufacturers are in Ontario,” Yong states. “Many are even in Windsor. I just want them to know that we have a stand right here. If they need a dispenser, we’re more than happy to supply them if we can.”