Daniels Electronics wins U.S. Government Contract

Times Colonist (Victoria)

Saturday, October 1, 2005

By: Darron Kloster

A $1 million US contract to supply digital radio equipment to U.S. government agencies will keep 65 employees at Daniels Electronics busy right through to Christmas.

The James Bay-based company said the deal with the U.S. departments of the interior and agriculture includes electronics, transmitters, receivers and control systems for about 100 radio systems. The equipment will be used by "first responders" - firefighters, police and other emergency personnel across the U.S. The systems allow these various agencies to "inter-operate" with each other in ordinary tasks or emergency situations, said Daniels marketing director Gerry Wright.

A portion of the $1-million order includes a rush delivery shipping this week to the hurricane-battered regions of the U.S. south, said Wright. The rest will be produced in ramped-up production this fall at Daniels headquarters at 43 Erie Street.

Daniels Electronics is already a big supplier of its P25 Land Mobile Radio equipment to the U.S. The handhelds are used across U.S. federal departments - from forests and parks to the military - but this week's order was unusually large.

Robert Small, chief operating officer for Daniels, said extensive damage from Hurricane Katrina has added an urgent need for linking communications across the disaster zone.

"We are pleased ... to be able to provide timely response to the needs of our customers as they respond to national emergencies like Katrina," said Small. "We have received similar requests in the past and each time our team has been ready and able to respond to the need."

Daniels was founded 50 years ago by Gordon Daniels in his pursuit of more reliable radios for fishing vessels. The company is still run by his sons, Ron and Terry, and had more than $20 million in revenue during 2004 -75 percent of which was from U.S. customers.

The company has evolved - and remained private - into a North American leader in customized radio communications for both governments and private enterprise. Its base stations and repeaters have long been fixtures in some of the earth's most extreme environments - from Antarctic and the Canadian north to Death Valley, Calif.

Daniels also announced this week the launch of a digital ethernet interface that allows its radio products direct connections to IP-based dispatch consoles. It's a joint venture with Dartmouth, N.S.-based radio equipment company Pantel International Inc.

Check www.danelec.com or www.intertalk.ca