Demand for homeland security requirements has pushed demand for Oil City-based
Pepro LLC's
patented shield enclosures for first responder communication systems in
the first quarter of 2009 to the level of sales reached for all of
2008. This demand is driving a prediction by principal owner Victor Garmong of a
doubling of sales for the year.
At the
heart of Pepro's sales gains is a patented technology that surrounds
mobile communication systems with a faraday cage--an enclosure of
conducting material that protects sensitive equipment from external
electrical charges. This, in turn, enables Pepro to offer a wide-range of
communications stations to federal, state, and local agencies as well
as private companies, capable of remote and unattended operations in
very rugged terrains.
"We're providing them all up and
down the Rocky Mountains and in the Cascade Mountains, as well as along
the border with Mexico," Garmong says. Known as Cells on Wheels (COWs),
Sites on Wheels (SOWs), and Mobile Tower Units (MTUs), the systems
protect unattended transmission stations and antenna outposts from
lightning strikes, radio frequency and electromagnetic interference, and provide 800-megahertz encryption. These features are driving sales,
as all government agencies are switching communication systems from
analog to digital technology and seeking 95 percent coverage across the United States.
A large subcontractor that
focuses 95 percent of its purchases within 150 miles of Oil City, Pepro
has added five people to the company payroll in the last six months and
expects to continue hiring engineers, mechanics and welders through the
end of the year. Moreover, with recent sales to Costa Rica and the West
African nation of Guinea, Garmong expects international sales to open
new opportunities.
Source: Pepro, Victor Garmong Writer: Joseph Plummer To receive Keystone Edge free every week, click
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