PJ, Here is a recent interview of Simtek (07/18/97) with some
clear buy signals in it. Please, let me know what you think? Shawn
Buy signals to me: Adding employees;estimates of second half of 1997
revenues going up; Our endeavors seem to be paying off in that we
are going into a lot of different military programs; and immediate
relisting goal!
Simtek wins contract with SCI
By CASEY HIBBARD Staff Reporter
Simtek Corp., a Colorado Springs maker of programmable nonvolatile Static
Random Access Memory (nvSRAM), has won a three-year contract with SCI
Government Systems Division to provide memory chips for use in the Army's
Longbow Helicopter electronics upgrade program.
Nonvolatile refers to the chip's ability to recognize power loss and automatically
save data without intervention of the system.
As part of the $1 million contract, SCI will incorporate the nvSRAM into a system
which stores important configuration information for the helicopter. That system will
then be installed in the McDonnell Douglas helicopters and sold to the Army.
L.D. Hockaday, Simtek's sales director, said this reliability, plus the system's
access time of 40 nanoseconds and wide temperature range (-55oC to 125oC),
led to the contract. He said the product also meets military criteria for space
savings because it mounts easily onto the circuits board.
"Our part met the requirements for this program and demonstrates the overall
reliability and quality of our product," Hockaday said.
Hockaday said that, by demonstrating the product's capabilities, this contract
opens doors for more such agreements.
"Our endeavors seem to be paying off in that we are going into a lot of different
military programs," Hockaday said, adding that extensive testing and efforts
were necessary to meet government criteria. "It shows the viability of our product
in these kinds of programs. It establishes us as a solution to those kinds of needs."
To date, eight nations, including the United States, have selected the Apache
helicopter for their defense needs. McDonnell Douglas began manufacturing
upgraded versions of the helicopter, which has been used in both Panama and
Iraq, last spring. The Apache Longbow's fire control radar and advanced avionics
suite give combat pilots the ability to rapidly detect, classify, prioritize and engage
stationary or moving enemy targets at standoff ranges.
Simtek's products are currently used in military applications around the world,
including European and Asian countries.
Simtek provides a family of nvSRAM products. Various applications for the products
include cellular telephones, high density hard disk drives, modems, smart utility
meters, home and commercial security systems, instrumentation and numerous
military systems, including communications, radar, sonar and smart weapons.
"It is amazing the number of applications we've turned up for our product," Hockaday
said.
Simtek has reported increasingly improved sales for the last six consecutive quarters.
The company's first quarter profit of $97,780 represented 118 percent growth
compared to the same period the previous year.
"Now that we're able to compete in a broad market with very competitive prices,
that's why you're seeing us grow," Hockaday said. "There are some very good
things out there for Simtek."
He estimates new products will help the company's revenues even more during
the second half of 1997.
The company is currently adding employees to keep up with the company's growth.
Simtek's 1465 Kelly Johnson facilities employ approximately 21 people. Hockaday
works from Atlant and one sales representative operates in the United Kingdom.
Simtek has been in business in Colorado Springs since 1988 and shipped its first
product in 1992.
Simtek is publicly traded on the Bulletin Board as SRAM. Doug Mitchell, Simtek's
recently-hired Chief Operating Officer, has named helping the company's stock
become relisted as one of his immediate goals, said Hockaday. |
