When you sign a digital consent form at a hospital, your signature is not just a picture on a screen. John Powers, owner and CEO of Scriptel, explains how forensic data like stroke speed helps verify identity on the hardware his team builds in Columbus, Ohio. Scriptel manufactures durable electronic signature pads designed specifically for healthcare environments, veterinary clinics, and legal compliance.
In this episode:
- Why Scriptel signature pads capture forensic stroke speed rather than just flat image files
- How writing custom software for Citrix virtual channels solved a massive hospital integration barrier
- Sourcing plastics, cables, and circuit board assembly across Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Indiana
- The real world environments that cause the most physical wear on signature pads
- How John transitioned from developer to acquiring the business from investors in 2021
- Why wealthy bank clients rejected fingerprint biometrics in favor of traditional signatures
About John Powers:
John Powers is the owner and CEO of Scriptel, a hardware and software manufacturer based in Columbus, Ohio. Scriptel produces specialized electronic signature pads made with scratch-resistant glass, custom molded plastic housings, internal circuit boards, and secure integration software. The company primarily serves healthcare networks, clinics, veterinary practices, and legal environments that require authenticated consent forms. Their components are sourced across the Midwest, including plastics from Ohio and Pennsylvania, cables from Indiana, and circuit board assembly in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, before final assembly in Columbus. Powers joined the company as a software developer following a 28-year career at Xerox, took over technical development in 2016, and purchased the business in 2021.
Website:
About What's Made in the USA:
What's Made in the USA is hosted by Carl Holden of Zellus Marketing, a technical SEO agency in Huntsville, Alabama that gets American manufacturers ranking on Google and AI search for the exact products they make. Each episode is a conversation with an owner or operator about what their company makes, how they make it, and how they built the business behind it. https://whatismadeintheusapodcast.com https://www.zellusmarketing.com
Subscribe to the channel and tune in to discover the American manufacturing stories behind everyday technology.
Topics covered:
electronic signature pads, healthcare hardware manufacturing, circuit board assembly, injection molded plastics, Citrix virtual channels, biometric signature capture, EHR software integration
Chapters:
0:00 Electronic signature pads and core markets
3:00 Forensic data in digital signatures
5:55 Taking over and right-sizing Scriptel
10:31 Citrix and Epic EHR software integration
12:09 Hardware durability in healthcare environments
14:18 Midwest sourcing and domestic assembly
18:17 Why handwritten signatures remain relevant
24:29 Career advice for the next generation
