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BISBEE’S BUZZ
Technology has a powerful future 2008-2010
I
heard that we’re having a recession.
You already
know that we are dealing with many less than ideal economic conditions and the
politicos certainly will remind us over and over. However, the solutions may be
in your hands, not some mammoth government program.
a recession is generally associated with a decline
in a country's economic activity and growth According to one widespread
definition, a recession occurs when real growth is negative for two or more
successive quarters of a year. "a significant decline in economic activity
spread across the economy, lasting more than a few months, normally visible in
real GDP, real income, employment, industrial production and wholesale-retail sales.”
A recession may involve simultaneous declines in
coincident measures of overall economic activity such as employment,
investment, and corporate profits. A severe or long recession is referred to as
an economic depression. Although the distinction between a recession and
a depression is not clearly defined, it is often said that a decline in GDP of
more than 10% constitutes a depression. A devastating breakdown of an economy
(essentially, a severe depression, , depending on the circumstances) is called
economic colapse.
Recession
is one of the major themes, in the mainstream media, when discussing the
economy. With the fall out from subprime mortgages, increasing numbers of
housing foreclosures, and balance sheet write downs among the financial
corporations, many business people are worried about the future of the economy.
Instead of losing sleep, it is always best to take the initiative and a
proactive approach with your company.
Making your company recession proof, or at least able to survive an economic downturn,
requires some planning and creative decision-making. It is all too easy to
simply say cut back on expenses and lay off staff. In fact, these rather
simplistic steps may be counterproductive. It is of little value to an
organization to leave a recession unable to capitalize on the return of better
times.
A
recession proof company:
- is a creative company
- listens to its customers.
- values its employees.
- understands its costs of
providing its products and services.
- lowers its debt levels.
- is flexible and seeks
opportunities where other companies see only doom and gloom.
- Is not afraid to change the
business model as the markets shift.
Are You Ready For Some Good News?
We are in the beginning of a technology revolution that
will eclipse the Recession of 2008 and virtually every goal we set today. The
near future is bright. The next decade is dazzling. The improbale we do right
away, but the impossible may take slightly longer. Read on:
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Many of
today’s leading communications industry associations are dedicated to research
into advanced aspects of the networked world. The key is technology in
moderation…. in the beginning.
The age of
the Smart
Building is
here now and the increased savings are huge in many areas: POWER – CONTROL –
COMMUNICATIONS – SECURITY – LIFE SAFETY SYSTEMS.
Continental Automated Building Association www.caba.org
CABA is a not-for-profit industry association that promotes advanced
technologies for the automation of homes and buildings in North
America.
VISION
The knowledge-based forum for industry leaders who advance the use of
technology and integrated systems in the global home and building industry.
MISSION
We are dedicated to advancing technology and integrated systems in homes and
buildings, creating opportunities for our members' business activities and
serving as a preferred global source of information, knowledge and networking
for key stakeholders.
GOALS
1. To be recognized as the knowledge-based forum for leaders who advance the
definition, development and delivery of the use of technology and integrated
systems in the global home and building industry.
2. To
provide members with timely and valuable information, products and services.
3. To
encourage research and development in the use of technology and integrated
systems in homes and buildings.
4. To
represent CABA membership interests to selected external bodies.
5. To
encourage creation of industry-wide interoperability of protocols and
standards.
6. To
maintain financial stability and seek opportunities to maximize member dues and
non-dues revenue.
7. To
ensure a strong, efficient and effective governance and a supportive
……………………………………………………………………………….
Dot.com
2nd Decade (2001-2010) is bigger & better than anyone ever
imagined.
In 1969,
four research computers were connected to create the genesis of the Internet at
the blazing server speed of 56 Kb. By 1990, there were 313,000 servers on the
Internet. Today, Google.com by itself has more than 458,000 servers on line and
some servers can operate at speeds of 92 terabits/second (two (2) billion
times faster than the 1969 speeds).
Some
experts estimate that 17% of the world population has used the Internet and the
hypertext World Wide Web (August 6,1991). We may see that user group swell to
50% in the next few years. Internet growth has not slowed. In 1994, the
Internet usage growing 2300% per year and Internet growth has not slowed.
Shocking
statistics show the USA
is third in usage behind China & Europe. However, the USA e-mail
traffic has surpassed telecommunications and printed mail. Last year, there
were about 170 billion e-mails per day (2 million each second). The
introduction of cell phones/portable devices like the Blackberry and other
smart phones is increasing the volume significantly. Estimates indicate that by
2010, the information flowing over the Internet will double every eleven hours.
***************************************************************
accelerating change is an increase
in the rate of technological (and sometimes social and cultural) progress
throughout history, which may suggest faster and more profound change in the
future.
***************************
Kurzweil and The Law of Accelerating Returns
Kurzweil in his 2001 essay The Law of Accelerating
Returns extends "technological change so rapid and profound it represents
a rupture in the fabric of human history." He believes the Law of
Accelerating Returns implies that a technological singularity
will occur before the end of the 21st century, in 2045.
The essay begins:
An
analysis of the history of technology shows that technological change is
exponential, contrary to the common sense 'intuitive linear' view. So we
won't experience 100 years of progress in the 21st century—it will be more like
20,000 years of progress (at today's rate). Within a few decades, machine
intelligence will surpass human intelligence, leading to technological singularity —technological
change so rapid and profound it represents a rupture in the fabric of human
history.
Moore's Law
expanded
“The rate of technical progress amongst humans has also
been exponentially increasing, as we discover more effective ways to do things,
we also discover more effective ways to learn. Already within the past sixty
years, life in the industrialized world has changed almost beyond recognition
except for living memories from the first half of the 20th century.” This
pattern will culminate in unimaginable technological progress in the 21st
century, leading to a singularity. Kurzweil elaborates on his views in his book
“The Singularity Is Near”.
Check out: www.acuta.org
………………………………………………
Once we
install the infrastructure network, we can start teaching the systems to
monitor and respond to our needs. Then we need the senses.
A sensor is
any device that can take a stimulus, such as heat, light, magnetism, or
exposure to a particular chemical, and convert it to a signal. Sensors have
certainly been around for a very long time. Scales–weight sensors–were used by
the Sumerians at least 9000 years ago. Thermometers–temperature sensors-were
developed in the late 16th century by Galileo and others. Barometers–pressure
sensors–were invented a few decades later by Galileo's assistant, Torricelli.
More recently, scientists and engineers have come up with devices to sense
light (photocells), sound (microphones), ground vibrations (seismometers), and
force (accelerometers), as well as sensors for magnetic and electric fields,
radiation, strain, acidity, and many other phenomena. From the metal detectors
we pass through at airports to the smoke detectors that protect our homes, our
modern civilization is utterly dependent on sensors.
While the concept
of sensors is nothing new, the technology of sensors is undergoing a
rapid transformation. Indeed, the forces that have already revolutionized the
computer, electronics, and biotech industries are converging on the world of
sensors from at least three different directions:
- Smaller: Rapid advances in fields such
as nanotechnology and (micro electro-mechanical systems (MEMS)) have not
only led to ultra-compact versions of traditional sensors, but have
inspired the creation of sensors based on entirely new principles.
- Smarter: The exponentially increasing
power of microelectronics has made it possible to create sensors with
built-in "intelligence." In principle, at least, sensors today
can store and process data on the spot, selecting only the most relevant
and critical items to report.
- 3. More Mobile: The rapid proliferation of
wireless networking technologies has cut the tether. Today, many sensors
send back their data from remote locations, or even while they're in
motion.
-
As
these forces converge, however, they pose daunting new challenges for
researchers and society alike.
We have
many things to be excited about. Think positive and look to the future for
changes to evolve rapidly in your growing companies. Some business revenues
that are only a few points of revenue today may end up “wagging the dog” in the
very near future. Knowledge is power, and education is a very good road to that
power.
Check out: www.bicsi.org www.njatc.org www.necanet.org www.naed.org www.thefoa.org for more
training opportunities.
Whatever
you do keep up to date by reading the top trade publications in the
communications and cabling industries. Don’t forget the top magazine in Canada
Cabling
Networking Systems magazine www.cnsmagazine.com.
They bring it all together.
But that’s just my opinion,
Frank Bisbee
"Heard On The Street" Monthly Column
www.wireville.com
4949 Sunbeam Rd, Suite 16
Jacksonville, FL 32257
(904)645-9077 office
(904) 645-9058 fax
frank@wireville.com
Industry News
TXP Introduces RF Return Capability in Optical Network Terminals, Paving Way for Widespread Telco TV Deployments over GPON
TXP
Corporation (OTCBB: TXPO), an Original Design Manufacturer (ODM) for the telecommunications
industry, has introduced the first of its standards-compliant RF return capable
Optical Network Terminals (ONT), giving service providers a practical solution
for delivering video and television services to residential customers over GPON
while maintaining backward compatibility with existing set-top boxes (STB).
TXP’s
RF return implementation is compliant with FSAN standards for three-wavelength
GPON deployments, as well as SCTE 55-1 and 55-2 standards that support STBs
from the two major brands – Motorola and Scientific-Atlanta. TXP has proven
interoperability with 16 OLT platforms and is capable of working with any
standards-based OLT. This broad-ranging interoperability, coupled with RF
return and all supported through a common software load, makes TXP ONTs almost
universally deployable.
“Backwards
compatibility with existing set-top boxes is a major concern for telcos
contemplating GPON deployments, which is why TXP closely followed all the
relevant standards in our implementation of RF return,” said Joel Futterman,
General Manager of TXP’s ONT Solutions Group. “This capability in optical
network terminals opens the door for wide-ranging deployment of interactive
video services over GPON without the need to replace thousands of existing set-top
boxes.”
RF
return enables telcos to install ONTs at the customer site and interoperate
with existing coaxial cable wiring and set top boxes. The RF return channel in
the current model is used as an upstream path for customers to send data to the
service provider, such as requesting pay-per-view broadcasts or other video on
demand applications. The coaxial cable connects directly to the ONT, and the
standard 1310 nm GPON wavelength is used for the upstream transmission of
voice, data, and video RF return traffic.
The
TXP standards-compliant approach is in contrast to other recently announced
approaches that require a fourth wavelength in order to enable an RF return
channel. As Futterman noted, “There is no ratified standard involving a
four-wavelength RF return solution over GPON, and under competitive pressure
from cable operators, telcos simply don’t have the time to wait. The
three-wavelength approach adds less cost to the ONT, requires less overall
equipment per PON and does not limit PON reach like competing four-wavelength
RFoG solutions. ”
TXP
will demonstrate the unit at the NXTcomm conference in Las Vegas June 17-19, where TXP is in Booth
SU 3921.
About
TXP
TXP
is an Original Design Manufacturer (ODM) for the telecommunications industry.
Based in Richardson, Texas, TXP has three primary business units:
TXP-Prototyping Solutions, TXP-ONT Solutions and Retrofit Solutions.
TXP-Prototyping Solutions provides pre-manufacturing services for the
electronics industry that help Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) bring
products to market both faster and more cost effectively. TXP-ONT Solutions
develops and markets, via an ODM model, a line of Carrier-Class CPE products
including home gateways and the world's broadest independent family of ONT
products to both OEMs and ILECs. ONTs are used in FTTH-based services to
terminate the passive optical network at the home or business location, and
enable integrated voice, video and high-speed internet access. TXP-Retrofit
Solutions provides custom engineered kits that enable ILEC's to upgrade their
local access service delivery infrastructure at minimum cost and time, enabling
a wide range of next generation telecom platforms to easily fit into the
variety of remote OSP cabinets that have been broadly deployed over the last 30
years. For more information visit: www.txpcorp.com
Safe Harbor Statement under the Private Securities Litigation
Reform Act of 1995: The statements which are not historical facts contained in
this press release are "forward-looking statements" that involve
certain risks and uncertainties including but not limited to risks associated
with the uncertainty of future financial results, additional financing
requirements, development of new products, government approval processes, the
impact of competitive products or pricing, technological changes, the effect of
economic conditions and other uncertainties detailed in the company's filings
with the Securities and Exchange Commission which may cause actual results,
performance and achievements of the company to be materially different from any
future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied.
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ADC Launches RealFlex Reduced Bend Radius Fiber Solutions at NXTcomm
NXTcomm
– LAS VEGAS – June 10, 2008 – ADC (NASDAQ: ADCT; www.adc.com) today announced the launch of the
RealFlex™ brand name for its reduced bend radius fiber (RBRF)
drop cable solutions. The RealFlex 3mm drop cable will be demonstrated in ADC’s
NXTcomm booth, #3916, at the Las Vegas Convention Center, June 16-19.
RealFlex solutions overcome
installation challenges encountered in today’s multiple dwelling unit (MDU)
buildings by helping service providers optimize fiber-to-the-premises (FTTP)
installation times and maintain fiber performance.
Already
available and shipping, ADC offers three RealFlex MDU drop cables: indoor/outdoor,
riser, and plenum type cables.
“RealFlex
is the solution that service providers need to get FTTP into today’s Multiple
Dwelling Unit buildings, with its quick installation and reliable bandwidth
delivery,” said Jaxon Lang, vice president of Global Connectivity
Solutions-Americas for ADC. “In short, RealFlex-enabled installations translate
into faster turn-up time and revenue generation for service providers.”
Additionally,
RealFlex solutions allow for a bend radius as small as 7.5 mm without changing
attenuation characteristics of the cable, and they provide improved insertion
loss performance for the many 90-degree bend locations found in MDU environments.
RealFlex
products also meet increased standards of durability required in MDU
environments. ADC’s unique ruggedized indoor/outdoor jacketing can be stapled
without compromising insertion loss performance, a feature that gives RealFlex
MDU drop cables a competitive advantage in the market.
“If service
providers are going to treat it like coax, it better be as tough as coax,” said
Lang, noting that the long term reliability and reduced installation issues of
RealFlex are key reasons that operators have selected ADC’s FTTX products with
RBRF since the company began shipping these solutions in November 2006.
For more
information on ADC's comprehensive portfolio of MDU solutions, visit: http://www.reducedbendradiusfiber.com
and http://www.adc.com/mduapplications
.
About
ADC
ADC
provides the connections for wireline, wireless, cable, broadcast, and
enterprise networks around the world. ADC's innovative network infrastructure
equipment and professional services enable high-speed Internet, data, video,
and voice services to residential, business and mobile subscribers. ADC
(NASDAQ: ADCT) has sales into more than 130 countries. Learn more about ADC at www.adc.com.
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Aktino’s new AKFLEX TDM/ATM/Ethernet solution DELIVERs 90+ Mbps OF Cell Site OR DSLAM backhaul capacity
Meeting
carriers’ needs for generating more bandwidth from their existing copper
infrastructure, Aktino today introduced a flexible new 90+ Mbps product
that features new AKflex capability, allowing it to be used to transport either
DS3 TDM/ATM or Carrier Ethernet. It gives providers the adaptable
solution they need to support network evolution strategies, but minimizes the
investment required to do so.
Aktino,
the leader in delivery of Carrier Ethernet and broadband services over bonded
copper, will show the new product for the first time at NXTcomm in Las Vegas June 17-19,
where Aktino is in Booth SL 1012.
The
robust solution, which combines features from Aktino’s DS3 and Carrier Ethernet
over copper product lines, helps carriers address three key applications with
maximum flexibility: Carrier Ethernet services, DSLAM backhaul, and cell site
backhaul. The new product delivers either a DS3 or up to 90+ Mbps of Carrier
Ethernet bandwidth throughout the entire CSA (Carrier Serving Area or 12,000
feet) and beyond. It switches from a DS3 to Carrier Ethernet product and back
via a simple user command
For
carriers, it offers a choice of providing asymmetric services to cover their
entire CSA with bandwidth of up to 90+ Mbps, or symmetric services of up to 90+
Mbps at shorter reaches.
“Asymmetric
services, in which carriers offer far more bandwidth downstream than they do
upstream, is ideal for many applications, such as DSLAM or cell site backhaul,”
said Hossam Salib, Senior Vice President of Marketing for Aktino. “By adjusting
the bandwidth to the specific needs of the application, carriers can achieve
nearly 8 Mbps per copper pair throughout the CSA, which is 10 times more than
legacy HDSL technologies
“This
solution gives carriers fiber impact on a copper budget, in the form of a
cost-effective solution that supports their network migration strategies.”
Salib
added that in tandem with this solution, Aktino is introducing an updated
version of its 8-pair Ethernet solution, which provides 50 Mbps symmetric
bandwidth at up to 5,000-foot reaches.
By
configuring the product in asymmetric mode, a carrier can double the downstream
bandwidth over Aktino’s already high symmetric MIMO-on-DMT (Multiple Input, Multiple
Out on Discrete Multi-Tone) bandwidth, and more than quadruple the bandwidth
provided by G.SHDSL. Aktino is the only bonded copper solution vendor that
offers asymmetric bandwidth capability.
With
the ability to switch from DS3 to Ethernet, the AKflex functionality enables a
particularly cost-effective migration strategy for carriers from ATM- and
TDM-based networks to Ethernet, since there is no need to change the hardware.
This latest offering continues Aktino’s reputation for providing cost-effective
solutions to carriers’ needs both today and for as long as they want to
continue leveraging their copper infrastructure in areas where fiber is
unavailable or impractical.
About
Aktino
Aktino
provides carrier-class bonded copper solutions that enable ILEC’s to respond to
customer hunger for bandwidth fast and network-wide by leveraging their
considerable in-place copper loop infrastructure. Aktino invented MIMO-on-DMT
technology for the copper loop environment because of its superiority over
earlier G.SHDSL approaches. In so doing Aktino gave ILECs a real ability
to postpone many fiber deployment investments and still remain very competitive
in their service offering as well as drive their broadband service
revenues. Founded in 2003 and headquartered in Irvine, California,
Aktino products are deployed worldwide for the transport of DS3 and high speed
Ethernet. For more information, please visit www.aktino.com.
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AppliedSensor Indoor Air Quality Module Detects Odors and VOCsin Commercial Facilities, Office Buildings, Classrooms and
Homes
To address
growing concern about the effects of poor indoor
air quality, AppliedSensor, a provider of chemical sensor components and
modules, has developed the IAQ-100 Indoor
Air Quality Module. A sensitive, low-cost solution for detecting poor air
quality caused by volatile organic compounds (VOCs) such as cooking odors,
bio-effluence and outdoor pollutants, the IAQ-100 can be integrated into any
demand-controlled ventilation environment, including commercial facilities,
offices, classrooms, kitchens, and bathrooms.
In classrooms,
the air quality can affect students’ health, their ability to learn, and the
productivity of the teaching staff. Professor
David Wyon, International Centre for Indoor Environment and Energy,
Technical University of Denmark, said, “It has now been shown beyond reasonable
doubt that poor indoor air quality in buildings can decrease productivity as
high as six to nine percent.”
“Odors are the pollutants found most objectionable by a room’s
occupants,” said Tom
Aiken, AppliedSensor Director of Marketing and Business Development. “Carbon
dioxide sensors cannot respond to changes in air quality caused by odors. Our IAQ-100 module is highly
sensitive to odors and other volatile organic compounds. Plus, it’s compact and
energy efficient, making it the ideal solution for any clean air initiative.”
The IAQ-100
is equipped with a sensor element based on micro-machined metal oxide semiconductor
(MOS) technology. A change of resistance in the presence of reducing gases such
as CO and VOCs generates a signal that is translated into specific air quality
levels and linked to specific gas concentration ranges. When the threshold of
air quality levels for target gases is exceeded, the module can signal a
climate control system to increase air flow by turning on a fan, opening a
window, or emitting an odor-masking fragrance. When referenced against
traditional CO2 sensors, the IAQ-100 module provides direct, consistent and
reliable correlation to CO2 levels.
AppliedSensor
(www.appliedsensor.com) is a
leading provider of chemical sensor solutions for air quality, safety and control. With a
25-year legacy of research and development, the company provides chemical
sensor systems to a broad range of industries and applications – from
automotive and heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) to safety and
air quality control. AppliedSensor operates facilities in Sweden, Germany
and the United States.
*********************************
Belden Announces Plan to Acquire Enterprise Wireless Technology Leader Trapeze Networks
Acquisition expands
Belden's enterprise offerings to cover the full range of wired and wireless
communication solutions for voice, video and data
Belden
(NYSE: BDC - News) has entered into a
definitive agreement to acquire Trapeze Networks, a leading provider of
wireless local area networking (WLAN) equipment and management software, for
$133 million in cash. The acquisition builds on Belden's market-leading
position as a complete signal transmission solutions provider by adding a
recognized leader in the wireless LAN market.
Wireless extends the
reach of Belden's physical-layer cable and connectivity products and enables
the company to address the growing mobility needs of customers. "Belden's
strategic vision is to provide the best signal transmission solutions to our
customers regardless of technology," said John Stroup, President and Chief
Executive Officer of Belden. "We believe the acquisition of Trapeze
Networks uniquely positions Belden to offer our enterprise customers tailored
connectivity solutions that benefit from blending the strengths of copper,
fiber and wireless technologies. Trapeze Networks Smart Mobile wireless LAN
solutions deliver superior performance, security, reliability and management
capabilities, making this a highly attractive wireless investment for Belden's
future. The acquisition will make Belden the world's largest unified wired and
wireless solutions provider and will provide expanded market access for Trapeze
Networks' Smart Mobile solutions.
"We believe we are
at an inflection point in enterprise wireless LAN expansion, a market that is
already growing nearly 25 percent per year, and that wireless connectivity is
no longer considered a luxury but is a customer expectation," added Mr.
Stroup.
Trapeze Networks, a
privately held company based in Pleasanton,
California, with 2007 revenues of
$56 million, sells its products into healthcare, education, manufacturing,
retail, government and other enterprise verticals through OEMs and distribution
channels. The Trapeze product portfolio is an end-to-end WLAN system built on a
highly scalable and secure wireless operating system running on Trapeze
Networks access points and controllers and features the industry's most robust
management software capabilities. More than 4,000 organizations around the
world have deployed Trapeze wireless platforms.
Jim Vogt, President and
Chief Executive Officer of Trapeze, said, "During the past six years,
enterprise customers around the world have invested in Trapeze Networks Smart
Mobile because they can depend on it for constant connectivity and reliable
mobility. The superior performance and cost benefits of our highly acclaimed
wireless LAN products have fueled our global growth through distribution and
through our OEM relationships with 3Com, Enterasys, Nortel and other large
networking companies. Our customers can now be assured of continued product
innovation and new capabilities from the combined resources of Belden and
Trapeze."
Impact on Belden's
Outlook
Because Trapeze Networks
sells software as well as hardware and services, the company is required under
accounting principles generally accepted in the United States to defer and amortize
certain revenues over the lives of contracts until it can establish
vendor-specific objective evidence of the fair market value of each separate
deliverable. The majority of Trapeze Networks' revenue is deferred and is
typically amortized over periods of a year or more. This accounting treatment
makes the acquisition more dilutive to Belden's expected earnings in 2008 and
2009 than would otherwise be the case.
John Stroup said,
"The acquisition of Trapeze Networks furthers our strategy, and we expect
that it will provide a return on invested capital for Belden consistent with or
better than that of our successful 2007 acquisitions. We expect that the total
dilutive impact of revenue deferral and amortization for 6 months in 2008 to be
$0.15 to $0.20 and in 2009 $0.25 to $0.30. Despite this impact, we expect the
transaction to be neutral in operating cash flow in 2008 and a positive
contributor to operating cash flow in 2009 and beyond.
"The expected
dilution from the Trapeze acquisition, including the impact of revenue deferral
and the recurring amortization of intangible assets resulting from the
purchase, but excluding short-term, nonrecurring amortization, will be in the
range of $0.27 to $0.32 in 2008 and $0.25 to $0.30 in 2009," said Mr.
Stroup. "We expect that the acquisition will be accretive on a GAAP basis
in 2010 and beyond.
"Our outlook for
2008 remains unchanged except for the expected effects of the planned
acquisition. Because of the mid-year timing of the closing of this transaction
and the deferral of Trapeze Networks' revenue, our expectations for
consolidated revenue remain in the range of $2.2 to $2.3 billion. We expect our
operating margin to be in the range of 11 to 12 percent, and we are adjusting
our expectation for 2008 earnings per diluted share to the range of $3.15 to
$3.35."
Conference Call
Belden will host a
conference call with investors and analysts at 8:30 a.m. eastern time on
Monday, June 9, 2008 to discuss the acquisition. To participate in the
conference call, please dial 1-866-304-1238 or 1-913-312-6650 (no passcode is
required). To listen to the Webcast, please go to http://investor.belden.com/MediaList.cfm.
A slide presentation supporting the conference call will be available within
the Webcast and will be posted at investor.belden.com. A telephonic
replay of the conference call will be available for a limited time at
1-888-203-1112 with the passcode 4537617.
Forward Looking
Statements
Statements in this
release other than historical facts are "forward looking statements"
made in reliance upon the safe harbor of the Private Securities Litigation
Reform Act of 1995. These forward looking statements are based on forecasts and
projections about the industries served by the Company and about general
economic conditions. They reflect management's beliefs and expectations. They
are not guarantees of future performance and they involve risk and uncertainty.
The Company's actual results may differ materially from these expectations.
Some of the factors that may cause actual results to differ from the Company's
expectations include demand for the Company's products; the cost and
availability of materials including copper, plastic compounds derived from
fossil fuels, and other materials; energy costs; the Company's ability to
integrate successfully the acquired businesses; and other factors. For a more
complete discussion of risk factors, please see our Annual Report on Form 10-K
for the year ended December 31, 2007, filed with the SEC on February 29, 2008.
Belden disclaims any duty to update any forward looking statements as a result
of new information, future developments, or otherwise.
About Belden
Sending All the Right
Signals -- from industrial automation to data centers, from broadcast studios
to aerospace, from cutting-edge wireless communications to consumer
electronics, Belden people are committed to delivering the best signal
transmission solutions in the world. Our 8,000 associates worldwide work in
copper cable, fiber, wireless technology, connectors, switches and active
components to bring voice, video and data to your mission-critical application.
With 2007 revenue of $2.0 billion, Belden has manufacturing capability in North
America, Europe and Asia. To obtain additional
information contact Investor Relations at 314-854-8054, or visit our website at
http://www.belden.com.
*********************************
CIOZone Names Interactive Intelligence Among 60 Fastest Growing Software Companies
Interactive
Intelligence (Nasdaq: ININ), a global provider of unified IP business
communications solutions, was named by CIOZone among the 60 fastest growing
software companies in the United
States.
Interactive
Intelligence was seventh among CIOZone’s 20 fastest growing small software
companies (qualified as companies that started 2007 with no less than $50
million in sales and no more than $149.9 million).
The CIOZone
ranking is based on 2007 revenues and profits of publicly held U.S. software
companies.
Interactive
Intelligence 2007 revenue was $109.9 million, an increase of 32 percent from
$83 million in 2006. The company has reported consecutive quarterly
profitability since 2004.
“We
attribute much of our growth to the value our unique all-in-one communications
software suite delivers as organizations increasingly make the transition to
voice over IP,” said Interactive Intelligence CEO, Dr. Donald E. Brown. “We’re
pleased to have exceeded our original growth targets for the year, which beat
overall market growth, and look forward to continuing to deliver innovative
communications products that help customers lower costs and improve service.”
Interactive
Intelligence first released its all-in-one IP
communications software suite in 1997 offering standards-based,
single-platform architecture designed to eliminate the cost and complexity
introduced by multi-point products. The company’s product line includes
multi-channel routing, outbound predictive dialing, IP PBX functionality, call
and screen recording, workforce management, unified messaging, and more.
Today,
the company gives its more than 3,000 global customers a comprehensive
solution-set comprised of premise-based and hosted offerings, including
software, hardware, consulting, support, education and implementation services.
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*********************************
DuPont plans cancer study at W.Va. plant; company says no known link to chemical in Teflon
DuPont
is planning a detailed study looking at why workers at a West Virginia plant appear to be getting a
rare form of cancer at a higher rate than normal.
The study DuPont hopes to start this summer is designed to help
determine whether anything at the Washington Works plant near Parkersburg is causing carcinoid tumors,
company epidemiologist Morel Symons said Monday. Early work suggests there are
more cases than would be expected at the plant, he said.
But that's merely a suggestion, because Symons says little is
known about what causes carcinoid tumors, which tend to appear in the
gastrointestinal tract and sometimes the lungs. "We're facing a situation
where we have limited information."
DuPont first began looking into the situation in 2006 after two
workers at the plant were diagnosed with carcinoid tumors.
"That raised a flag for us," plant manager Bill Hopkins
said. DuPont has since found 18 more instances of employees with carcinoid
tumors across the country, including five more at Washington Works. The cancer
cases date back to the 1980s and include current and retired employees.
Washington Works, however, is the only DuPont plant with enough
cases to warrant further study, Symons said.
The plant has a significant public health history. DuPont uses the
chemical ammonium perfluorooctanoate -- commonly referred to as C8 -- to make
the nonstick product Teflon at Washington Works.
C8 releases from the plant resulted in a class-action lawsuit that
claimed the chemical contaminated six Ohio Valley
water districts. Scientists researching whether C8 poses a health risk are
conducting 10 studies to follow up on health screening of residents involved in
the lawsuit.
Hopkins said there's no reason to believe the cancer situation at
Washington Works is related to C8 or any other chemical.
DuPont maintains the chemical is not hazardous to human health. A
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency science panel has said C8 is a
"likely" carcinogen.
DuPont is following a standard approach recommended by the Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention for studying the cancer situation at the
plant, Symons said.
"Hopefully by the end of the year, I'll have a fairly
substantial report on what we've determined occupationally," he said.
*********************************
Polymer Dynamix Announces New Breakthrough in Static Control Thermoplastic Compounds
Polymer
Dynamix has recently introduced a new family of permanently anti-static
thermoplastic compounds. DynaStat
thermoplastic compounds are designed to deliver surface and volume resistivity
within10e7 to 10e10 ohm-square, a critical range for sensitive electronic
equipment. The proprietary DynaStat technology is available in a wide variety
thermoplastics including nylon, acetal (POM), ABS, PC, PP and PE. Grades are suitable for extrusion and
injection molding. DynaStat is also
available in rod and sheet form for machining into parts.
DynaStat
products are fully compounded thermoplastics that feature breakthrough IDP
(intrinsically dissipative polymer) technology that utilizes PEBAX® TPE made by
ARKEMA Corp. This unique material
advancement allows for more efficient development of electrical pathways for
controlled static dissipation. The fully
compounded products are UV stable and permanent in nature. There is no migration of undesirable
additives that can contaminate or interfere with polymer performance.
DynaStat
compounds retain the properties of the base resin while offering conductive
performance that is independent of environmental conditions. Electrical properties will not degrade over
time or change after repeated cleaning or washing. DynaStat products maintain their static
control properties even at low humidity (15% RH)
“The
addition of DynaStat to our product portfolio of engineering thermoplastics
provides our customers with increased productivity and significant cost savings
by eliminating catastrophic losses associated with uncontrolled static
discharges,” said Veerag Mehta,
Technology Director at Polymer Dynamix.
“We are very excited to offer these compounds and believe they will find
their way into applications where customers were previously unable to meet
material performance requirements.”
Other
benefits include:
Non-sloughing
or contaminating, dissipates 5000V < 2.0 seconds, excellent machinability,
superior dimensional stability (low moisture absorption) and low/no out
gassing.
DynaStat
products are suitable for use in a wide array of industries including
semiconductor manufacturing, electronic packaging, aerospace and
automotive. Applications include hard
disk drives, tote boxes, chip carriers, storage trays, pallets, equipment
cases, cassettes, wafer carriers, DIP tubes, card enclosures photographic
equipment, fuel handling, filters and conveying equipment.
www.polymerdynamix.com
*********************************
GM closing 4 truck, SUV plants in North America
GM closing 4 North American
truck, SUV plants, affecting 10K workers, reviews Hummer plans
General Motors is closing four
truck and SUV plants in the U.S.,
Canada and Mexico,
affecting 10,000 workers, as surging fuel prices hasten a dramatic shift to
smaller vehicles.
CEO Rick Wagoner said Tuesday
before the automaker's annual meeting in Delaware the plants to be idled are in
Oshawa, Ontario; Moraine, Ohio; Janesville, Wis.; and Toluca, Mexico. He also
said the iconic Hummer brand will be reviewed and potentially sold or revamped.
Wagoner said the GM board has
approved production of a new small Chevrolet car at a plant in Lordstown,
Ohio, in mid-2010 and production of the
Chevrolet Volt electric vehicle in Detroit.
Wagoner announced the moves in
response to slumping sales of pickups and SUVs brought on by high oil prices.
He said a market shift to smaller vehicles is permanent.
GM shares rose 43 cents, or 2.5
percent, to $17.87 in midday trading.
The cuts will affect 10,000
hourly and salaried workers. Many will be able to take openings created when
19,000 more U.S.
hourly workers leave later this year through early retirement and buyout
offers.
Wagoner said the company has no
plans to allocate products to the four plants in the future.
"We really would not
foresee the likely prospect of new products in the plants that we're announcing
today that we'll cease production in," he told a Moraine, Ohio, city official who
asked a question in a telephone conference call.
More cuts will be announced
later. Wagoner said GM will consolidate engine, transmission and other parts
operations to go with the assembly plant actions.
The actions add to a string of
plant closures by the Big Three in the last several years. GM, Ford Motor Co.
and Chrysler LLC have announced the shutdown of 35 plants since 2005, according
to Sean McAlinden, chief economist with the Center for Automotive Research in Ann Arbor. Along with 35
additional closures at GM and Ford's chief suppliers, Delphi Corp. and
Automotive Components Holdings LLC, he said the total hourly and salaried jobs
eliminated comes to 149,000.
In that same time period,
foreign automakers have built or announced plans to build five U.S. assembly
plants, he said. In 2007, foreign auto companies employed 113,000 people in the
U.S.,
a number McAlinden projects will rise to 152,000 by 2011.
The Oshawa truck plant, which builds the
Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra pickups, likely will be shuttered next year.
The Moraine plant near Dayton,
will stop making Chevy TrailBlazer and other mid-size SUVs in 2010 "or
sooner if demand dictates," Wagoner said. In Janesville, the plant that
builds medium-duty trucks and big SUVs like the Chevrolet Tahoe, will cease
production starting at the end of 2009, finishing in 2010 or sooner if demand
stays weak. In Toluca,
production of medium-duty trucks will end by the end of 2008, Wagoner said.
The moves will save the company
$1 billion per year starting in 2010. Combined with previous efforts, GM by
2011 will have cut costs by $15 billion a year over in 2005, Wagoner said.
Canadian Auto Workers President
Buzz Hargrove said GM's decision to close its Oshawa truck plant betrays the labor
agreement reached two weeks ago. He said the union will consider all options,
including a strike.
GM committed to keep the plant
of 2,600 people open throughout the three-year agreement, Hargrove said.
Wagoner said General Motors
Corp.'s board approved the production schedule of the Chevrolet Volt, and the
company plans to bring the plug-in electric car to showrooms by the end of
2010.
Fully charged, the Volt could
drive about 40 miles without using any gasoline, and a small conventional
engine would recharge the vehicle, extending its range and allowing it to get
the equivalent of 150 miles per gallon. GM plans to sell about 100,000 Volts a
year by 2012.
Wagoner said the change in the U.S. market to
smaller vehicles likely is permanent. "We at GM don't think this is a
spike or a temporary shift," Wagoner said.
On the Hummer, Wagoner said GM
is "undertaking a strategic review of the Hummer brand, to determine its
fit with GM's evolving product portfolio" in light of changing market
conditions.
"At this point, we are
considering all options for the Hummer brand... everything from a complete
revamp of the product lineup to partial or complete sale of the brand," he
said.
Detroit's automakers have been making the shift to more
fuel-efficient vehicles, but not at the pace that matches consumers' drive to
hybrids and high mileage models made overseas. Gas prices have accelerated the
retreat from trucks and sport utility vehicles, leaving the Big Three at the
most critical crossroads in 30 years.
The U.S. market is difficult for every
automaker, with consumer confidence weak and 2008 sales expected to be the
lowest in more than a decade. But it is most difficult for the Detroit Three,
who have relied more heavily on sales of trucks and SUVs than their foreign
counterparts. Trucks make up 70 percent of Chrysler LLC's U.S. sales, for
example, compared to 41 percent at Toyota Motor Corp.
GM President and Chief Operating
Officer Fritz Henderson said the new small car to be built in Lordstown would
get 9 miles per gallon better fuel economy than the company's current small
cars, the Chevrolet Cobalt and Pontiac G5 when equipped with a manual
transmission. The most efficient Cobalt now gets 36 miles per gallon on the
highway, although Henderson
would not give a total mileage number.
It would be powered by a 1- to
1.4-liter four-cylinder gasoline engine that could be turbocharged for
additional power, GM said. The new engine would be built in Flint.
Henderson said the plant closure measures would reduce the
company's capacity to produce pickups and large SUVs by 700,000 per year, about
35 percent.
He also said GM is planning for
gasoline prices to stay around $4 per gallon for the foreseeable future,
"with a bias upwards."
When asked if GM should have
moved more quickly to smaller vehicles, Henderson
said he doesn't spend time looking in the rearview mirror.
"There's not much I can do
about what I didn't do in the past," he said.
Pete Hastings, senior analyst
with Memphis, Tenn.-based Morgan Keegan & Co., said GM's moves are painful
yet prudent.
"It's a permanent shift,
and they're right to recognize it," he said. "But is it enough? It's
a bit early to tell. ... That's the hard part of gauging where we are in the
economy -- and how deep or strong the shift in demand is for more fuel-efficient
vehicles."
Analyst Kevin Tynan of New
York-based Argus Research Corp. said the Detroit Three automakers have been
"caught with the market running away from them." While he recognizes
GM's plight and efforts to overcome it, he still questions the aggressive push
to market with the Volt, which is demanding heavy investment at a time when
money is tight.
"It's very bad timing, very
late in the game to be making big bets," he said. "At the same time,
you don't have a choice."
The announcement is an economic
blow to Janesville,
which long has been entwined with automaking. The sprawling GM plant has
survived the Depression, a world war and GM's major layoffs in the 1980s, but
it will not escape the latest round of corporate belt-tightening.
"There were some tears and
a lot of people were kind of ticked off, but it's part of the business,"
said Scott Lambert, 39, who has worked at the plant for 13 years.
He said he was headed to buy an
atlas to figure where other GM plants were that might be hiring.
The plant, GM's oldest, opened
in 1919 and long was the largest employer in Janesville,
a city of 60,000 about 100 miles northwest of Chicago. But cutbacks have shrunk the work
force to about 2,600, so it's no longer the city's biggest employer.
Detroit-based GM also has just
emerged from a spate of labor problems, with two local union strikes at key
factories and a nearly three-month strike at key parts maker American Axle and
Manufacturing Holdings Inc.
GM said in a recent regulatory
filing the strikes will cost it a total of $2 billion before taxes in the
second quarter.
AP Business Writers Emily
Fredrix in Janesville, Wis.,
and Jeff Karoub in Detroit and AP Auto Writer
Dee-Ann Durbin in Detroit and Associated Press
Writer Rob Gillies in Toronto
contributed to this report.
***************
Ford's US sales drop 15 pct as trucks, SUVs take a hit
and buyers opt for small cars
Ford Motor Co. said Tuesday its U.S. sales fell
15 percent in May as consumers continued to abandon pickups and sport utility
vehicles in favor of smaller cars, an industry-wide shift that will force plant
closures at General Motors Corp. and production cuts at Ford.
Ford said its car sales were up
3 percent compared with last May, and it sold more than 30,000 Ford Focus small
cars for only the second time in the car's nine-year history. But pickup and
SUV sales dropped 24 percent. No truck was immune: Ford's F-series trucks, the
best-selling vehicles in the U.S.
for 31 years, plummeted 31 percent.
The rapid decline in truck and
SUV sales caused GM to announce Tuesday that it plans to close four truck and
SUV plants by 2010, costing 10,000 jobs. Ford said last month it plans to slash
North American production of trucks and SUVs for the rest of the year. Ford
also is planning to lay off salaried workers. Ford promised more details on its
restructuring plan in July.
Other automakers were scheduled
to report May sales later Tuesday.
GM shares rose 35 cents, or 2
percent, to $17.79 in afternoon trading. Ford shares rose 3 cents to $6.67.
The Associated Press reports
unadjusted figures, calculating the percentage change in the total number of
vehicles sold in one month compared with the same month a year earlier. Some
automakers report percentages adjusted for sales days. There were 27 sales days
last month and 26 in May 2007.
*********************************
Graybar Introduces New ESP Brochure
Graybar, a
leading distributor of electrical and communications products and related
supply chain management and logistics services, announced today that it has
published a new Graybar ESP brochure featuring products and services to help
electrical contractors improve their efficiency, safety and productivity.
The 36-page
Graybar ESP brochure includes n |
