Industry News: August 2005

Weldon Technologies, Inc., a major supplier of vehicle lighting and control electronics to the school bus, recreational vehicle, fire and EMS industries, has been acquired by Akron Brass Co., a worldwide marketer and manufacturer of innovative products for firefighting, emergency rescue, homeland security, de-icing, and other specialized industrial applications. Headquartered in Wooster, OH, with operations in Washington, IL, and Columbus, OH, Akron Brass has more than 400 associates and 500 distributors worldwide. “Weldon’s extensive lighting and electrical control product portfolio, combined with Akron Brass’s existing scene lighting and power distribution equipment, will provide even more supply capabilities for our customers,” stated Scott Weishaar, VP for Weldon. “Furthermore, Akron Brass’s expertise will enable us to broaden our innovations to meet the future requirements of our customers.”…Nextel Communications Inc. (NASDAQ: NXTL), a leading provider of fully integrated wireless communications services based in Reston, VA, introduced, on June 14, the Nextel Wireless GPS Platform, an application development environment that extends location-based services (LBS) to a broader base of users. LBS applications developed on the Nextel Wireless GPS Platform will support all Nextel assisted-GPS devices, including the BlackBerry 7520 as well as both Java and non-Java enabled handsets. The platform will appeal to large enterprise and government customers that find off-the-shelf products may not fully meet their needs. For customers who want applications that run locally on their phones or have other technical requirements, Java interfaces continue to be available. Nextel’s partners will be able to develop and market server-based LBS applications and simplify the rollout process. IT2ME, a leading provider of wireless data and Internet-based business solutions, was the first to partner with Nextel to develop non-Java LBS applications when it launched its Gold API service…RELM Wireless Corporation (OTCBB: RELM), maker and marketer of high-specification two-way communications equipment, announced that its new digital mobile radio, the BK Radio DMH, has received type acceptance and approval from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for use in the U.S. The DMH is compliant with the Project 25 standard (P25) established by the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials–International (APCO). “The arrival of the DMH is an important addition to our P25 product line with a range of opportunities for growth primarily in public safety, homeland security and government markets. We expect all our P25 products to drive accelerating growth in the months and years ahead,” commented RELM President and CEO David Storey. “From the customers’ viewpoints, this family of digital products offers superior audio quality and clarity, rock-solid reliability, and ease of use with a price substantially below competitors’ products,” Storey said. Small and compact, the new BK Radio DMH digital mobile radio provides 400 channels with 25 user groups and 16 channels per group in the 136–174 MHz VHF frequency band for digital, analog and mixed-mode operation. Options include DES/AES encryption, as well as standard dash-mount or remote-mount configurations.