Company Description
We are a leading designer, manufacturer and marketer of fiber-optic test,
measurement and monitoring instruments for the telecommunications industry. We
believe that we are the largest manufacturer of test, measurement and monitoring
instruments that is exclusively dedicated to fiber optics. Unlike traditional
electrical transmission systems, which transmit electrical signals along copper
wires, fiber-optic transmission systems use pulses of light along glass or
plastic fiber, often referred to as optical fiber. When light travels along
optical fiber and through the optical equipment that link optical fibers
together, it is subject to unwanted effects such as reflection, attenuation,
noise and various types of dispersion, all of which degrade signal quality and
reduce transmission performance. Fiber-optic test, measurement and monitoring
equipment is critical for measuring these effects and for helping communications
carriers and manufacturers ensure network performance and reliability.
Demand for fiber-optic test, measurement and monitoring equipment has been
driven by increased production and deployment of optical fiber and related
equipment in order to meet the growing demand for telecommunications capacity.
Ryan, Hankin & Kent, a leading telecom market research firm, forecasts that
Internet traffic will increase from 350,000 terabytes, or trillions of bytes,
per month at the end of 1999 to more than 15 million terabytes per month in
2003, representing a compound annual average growth rate of 156%.
Our customers use fiber-optic test, measurement and monitoring equipment
mainly to:
- ensure the quality of networks as they are being deployed;
- diagnose and repair problems within an optical network;
- monitor the quality of an optical signal as it passes through a network;
- analyze fiber-optic components and equipment during production and
assembly as well as quality control and conformity testing; and
- conduct sophisticated tests during the research and development of
fiber-optic products.
We believe that we have positioned ourselves as the supplier offering the
most extensive range of products in the fiber-optic test, measurement and
monitoring industry. Our success has been largely based on our exclusive focus
on fiber-optic test, measurement and monitoring instruments. We have developed
optical technologies and advanced testing algorithms that we leverage across our
various product lines. Our success is primarily due to:
- our development of a range of products based on a modular system design
consisting of Windows-based platforms that can accommodate several data
acquisition test modules;
- our high degree of technological innovation, as illustrated by our
leading position in our industry in the development and
commercialization of a number of new fiber-optic test and measurement
products;
- the high quality of our products as a result of our comprehensive
quality assurance program, which has been certified ISO 9001 since 1994,
and our compliance with demanding industry standards; and
- our highly qualified and specialized internal customer support teams
that offer pre-sales evaluation, installation, channel and customer
training and post-sales support.
We develop products principally for two markets. Our Portable and
Monitoring Division provides solutions primarily to telecommunications carriers,
cable television companies, public utilities, private network operators, as well
as third-party installers and equipment rental companies. Our Scientific
Division, established in 1996, designs an extensive line of more sophisticated
and higher performance instruments for manufacturers of optical fiber, optical
components, value-added optical modules and optical networking systems. Our
Scientific Division also designs products for research and development markets.
We intend to expand our leadership position in the fiber-optic test,
measurement and monitoring industry and to increase our market share through the
following initiatives:
- expand our technological leadership;
- invest in strategic sectors;
- leverage our modular design across our product lines;
- expand our sales and marketing efforts;
- reduce our delivery lead times; and
- pursue complementary acquisitions. |
