Some DD on FOCS: A little long but worth the read on this little gem.
Here's part of news release released on Feb 14th. A nice deal which will lead to other similar ones.
FiberChem, TNO and Coca-Cola Enterprises-NL in Cooperative Development
LAS VEGAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 14, 2000--FiberChem Inc. (OTCBB:FOCS - news), through its wholly owned subsidiary FCI Environmental Inc. (FCI), announced that it has signed an agreement to cooperate with a division of TNO, the Dutch research organization, to develop FCI's sensor technology for an application of immediate interest to the food and beverage industry.
The project is also partially funded by Coca-Cola Enterprises-NL.
FCI has been working with the same group within TNO Nutrition and Food Research Institute for the last two years on the development of improved devices for hydrocarbon detection to meet specific Dutch and European needs. This led to the selection of FCI's technology as the basis for development of sensors for a specific contaminant of interest to the food and beverage packaging industry at large. These developments could lead to a large new market for FCI's technology.
Geoff Hewitt, chairman and chief executive officer, said, ''We have been working with this group for about two years and are pleased that they have chosen our patented Fiber Optic Sensor technology as the basis for their most recent project. At the same time, due to the support of one of the world's most admired companies, we believe that there could be a world market for new products resulting from the successful completion of this development program. The project is in three phases. The first, now completed, was a feasibility study that led to the development phase which is now ongoing. If successful, this would lead to the introduction of products to address this important market.''
Then the recent anouncement of their merger: This was so big for them. It makes them a wireless play and could lead to deals in so many different areas. They are really a new company now involved in transmitting wireless data with the Technology of their newly merged company. Look at who the merged company is part of (TGO and ORB), definitely no slouches. FOCS is now playing with the big boys:
ORBCOMM to Bring Wireless Data Solutions to DecisionLink Incorporated
DULLES, Va., Feb. 17 /PRNewswire/ -- ORBCOMM Global, L.P. (ORBCOMM), the first commercial provider of global low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellite data communication services, today announced that its value-added reseller, Intrex Data Communications Corporation of Vancouver, British Columbia, and Dallas, Texas, plans to merge with FiberChem Inc. of Las Vegas, Nevada (OTC Bulletin Board: FOCS - news). The combined company will be named DecisionLink Incorporated.
Intrex has spent five years developing several large-scale, proprietary communication systems that use the ORBCOMM satellite network. Data is routed through ORBCOMM's network and Intrex's Universal Data Network (UDN), which acts as a data gateway and an applications service provider. Using the ORBCOMM system and the Internet, the UDN allows a customer to monitor and control remote or mobile assets such as gas wells, pipelines, compressors, storage tanks, offshore platforms, utilities or service vehicles directly from a desktop PC via the Internet.
DecisionLink will bring together Intrex's UDN and Fiberchem's advanced fiber-optic chemical sensors with the ORBCOMM network to provide customers with critical environmental information used for pipeline leak detection, oil production, water quality monitoring and industrial wastewater compliance monitoring. This innovative solution can save companies money associated with the development and implementation of operational systems.
''We believe integrating ORBCOMM's wireless communications with our UDN services and FiberChem's highly advanced sensor technologies will provide DecisionLink's customers with the critical ability to monitor their assets beyond terrestrial data links,'' said David Peachey, Chief Executive Officer of Intrex. ''ORBCOMM and our Universal Data Network allow customers to send and receive information from remote assets. In a changing global economy, access to information has never been more important in the decision-making process. We expect this technology to present significant opportunities to DecisionLink, its customers and business partners.''
''This agreement with Intrex is the beginning of a new and exciting era for our company,'' said Geoff Hewitt, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of FiberChem. ''DecisionLink's goal is to be a major player in the emerging business-to-business Internet information marketplace and ORBCOMM is a key part of that plan. DecisionLink will focus on providing wireless data and SCADA services via ORBCOMM and the Internet and value-added service through applications software in its UDN. Our primary customers will be major corporations and, in many cases, companies in the petroleum and environmental sectors to whom FiberChem has previously provided sensors and monitoring products.''
''ORBCOMM is supporting DecisionLink in the development and commercial deployment of communication solutions, and we look forward to a long and rewarding partnership,'' said Scott L. Webster, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of ORBCOMM. ''We believe DecisionLink's technology will bring cost- effective ORBCOMM services to new markets.''
About FiberChem Inc.
FiberChem Inc. develops, manufactures, markets and licenses fiber optic chemical sensors that produce continuous, real-time information of environmental pollutants in the air, water and soil. FiberChem has approximately 25 patents covering innovative measurement technologies and has developed a strong technical position in a variety of product areas. These technologies are currently used in applications such as pipeline leak detection, above-ground storage tank monitoring, oil production, water quality monitoring and industrial wastewater compliance monitoring and control.
About Intrex Data Communications Corp.
Intrex was founded in 1995 as a wireless data network provider specifically targeting ORBCOMM applications. As a value-added reseller of ORBCOMM, Intrex has developed applications that enable a customer to monitor and control remote or mobile assets such as gas wells, pipelines, compressors, storage tanks, offshore platforms, utilities or service vehicles directly from a desktop PC via the Internet. For more information on Intrex, visit the web site at www.intrexsat.com.
About ORBCOMM
ORBCOMM provides two-way monitoring, tracking and messaging services through the world's first commercial low-Earth orbit satellite-based data communications system. ORBCOMM applications include tracking of mobile assets such as trailers, containers, rail cars, heavy equipment, fishing vessels, barges and government assets; monitoring of fixed assets such as electric utility meters, oil and gas storage tanks, wells and pipelines and environmental projects; and messaging services for consumers and commercial and government entities.
ORBCOMM is owned by Teleglobe Inc. (NYSE: TGO; Toronto) and Orbital Sciences Corporation (NYSE: ORB - news). Teleglobe Inc. is a leading global provider of broadband services with the most extensive global Internet network. Delivering advanced broadband applications to customers in more than 100 countries, Teleglobe is the premier communications architecture for the digital economy. Orbital is a space technology company that designs, manufactures and markets a broad range of space products and satellite-based services. |
