ADC Telecommunications
ADC Telecommunications (NASDAQ: ADCT) is a communications company located in Eden Prairie, Minnesota, a southwest suburb of Minneapolis.
ADC Telecommunications, Inc. (ADC) is a provider of broadband communications network infrastructure products and related services. The Company's products offer solutions that enable the delivery of high-speed Internet, data, video and voice communications over wireline, wireless, cable, enterprise and broadcast networks. These products include fiber-optic, copper and coaxial based frames, cabinets, cables, connectors and cards, wireless capacity and coverage solutions, network access devices and other physical infrastructure components. It provides professional services to customers. These services help customers plan, deploy and maintain Internet, data, video and voice communication networks. It has three business segments: Global Connectivity Solutions, Network Solutions and Professional Services. In December 2010, Tyco Electronics Ltd. acquired the Company.
ADC Telecommunications, Inc. is a Minneapolis-based supplier of networking products and systems for telephone, cable television, Internet, broadcast, wireless, and private communications networks. ADC's systems and solutions enable local access and high-speed transmission of communications services from service providers to consumers and businesses over fiber-optic, copper, and wireless media. The company is a diversified niche marketer that has chosen to work closely with industry giants as a collaborator, rather than a competitor. Its systems and integration solutions are divided into four groups: broadband connectivity; business broadband; residential broadband; and integrated solutions. It has direct sales offices located in the United States, Canada, Europe, the Pacific Basin, Australia, and Central and South America.
Innovators in Telecommunications and Data Processing: 1930s--70s
Audio Development Company (later renamed ADC Incorporated) was founded by two Bell Laboratory engineers in 1935 as a telecommunications company that created custom transformers and amplifiers for the radio broadcast industry and also audiometers to test children's hearing. In 1941, while participating in a project to develop a sophisticated audio system for Coffman Union at the University of Minnesota, ADC also began to produce jacks, plugs, patch cords, and jackfields, foreshadowing its future involvement in the telephone industry.
Magnetic Controls Company was founded and incorporated in Minnesota in 1953, part of the wave of technological development during the postwar era. The company produced high-quality custom power supplies and magnetic amplifiers and was involved in military and space exploration programs. In 1961, Magnetic Controls merged with ADC Incorporated, and the new company, which used the umbrella name Magnetic Controls Company (ADC's trade name was retained in telecommunications), advanced its most significant innovation, the Bantam jack. This product was an amalgam of miniaturized components and became standard for telephone circuit access and patching. Magnetic Controls launched an ongoing involvement with major space missions in 1962, eventually designing and manufacturing sensors for the Columbia space shuttle.
The 1960s and 1970s ushered in technological advancement in all areas of telecommunications and data processing. Public and private computer use increased, and telecommunications evolved into the computer age, with telephonic digital transmission and the expansion of data communications. As an innovator in these fields, Magnetic Controls grew dramatically. In 1970, when Charles Denny was encouraged by shareholders to quit his marketing executive job at Honeywell and to take over leadership of the company, the company's earnings stood at $6 million. These compounded at 20 percent a year for the next 20 years.
Magnetic Controls Company pioneered yet another industry standard during the 1970s--the digital signal cross-connect product line to access and cross-connect digital telephony circuits. The company also developed specialized test boards for long-distance telephone companies, and designed and manufactured power conversion equipment for major data processing manufacturers. In addition to proliferating new products that addressed the digitalization of the industry, Magnetic Controls continued to introduce telecommunications hardware, including prewired connectorized jackfields and wired assemblies.
ADC's and its competitors' marketing strategies were dramatically affected in 1992 by workforce reductions and early retirement programs implemented by large local exchange carriers. With sales at $316 million and shares priced at $56.75, ADC had become a leader in a growth field in 1993. The advent of ATM technology and the scrambling of television, computer, and telephone industries to board the information superhighway had wireless telecommunications booming with a growth rate of 25 percent. Seeking to build a stronger relationship with its customers to secure longevity, ADC adopted strategies including simplifying product lines; providing more detailed support materials; and improving ordering, customer service, quality of products, and maintenance support.
The company's products included fiber-optic video, data, and voice transmission systems, and its clients included phone companies, TV broadcasters, and all major cable TV operators. Its new cellular radio switch was undergoing testing by seven large cellular phone operators. ADC continued to market new products, including an Ethernet converter, a coaxial cable delivery option for its Homeworx broadband access system, and a Sonoplex flexible access platform. ADC's Homeworx system was selected by Rochester Telephone Corp. in May 1993 for a six-month video-on-demand trial.
ADC became an "early follower" in the asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) market, announcing a multiyear agreement with Loral Data Systems for an ATM switch. The ATM switch would create the capability of handling the massive flows of simultaneous high-speed digital information that the industry projected would be generated during the latter half of the 1990s and into the 21st century, arising from the blending of the communications, computing, and entertainment industries. The company also landed a coup in March 1994 when Ameritech chose ADC to supply equipment for its $75--$100 million video system, to be developed over the next five years. This $4.4 billion project would bring 70 channels of analog television and 40 channels of digital video to customers, with unlimited program choices and interactive, customer-controllable programming.
Principal Subsidiaries: Fibermux Corporation; Kentrox Industries, Inc.; Skyline Technology, Inc.; ADC Broadband Communications, Inc.; Pathway, Inc.; Teledata Communications, Inc.; PCS Solutions, LLC; ADC Broadband Wireless Group, Inc.; ITS Service Company, Inc.; TPO Limited; ADC International OUS, Inc.; ADC OUS Holdings, LLC; Telesphere Solutions, Inc.; ADC Telecommunications Sales, Inc.; Princeton Optics, Inc.; Codenol Technology Corp.; AOFR Americas Inc.; ADC Teledata Communications Ltd. (Israel); Tdsoft Ltd. (Israel); G-Connect Ltd. (Israel); T-Link (Israel); TDC Teledata Communication GmbH (Germany); ADC Telecom Canada Inc.; ADC Europe N.V. (Belgium); ADC Telecommunications Netherlands B.V. (Netherlands); ADC Telecommunications GmbH (Germany); ADC Telecommunications U.K. Ltd.; ADC Telecommunications Australia Pty. Limited; ADC Telecommunications Holdings Pty. Limited (Australia); Teledata Communication Australia Pty. Ltd.; Teledata Manufacturing Australia Pty. Ltd.; Teledata Holdings Australia Pty. Ltd.; TDC (UK) Limited; Teledata Communications Hellas LLC (Greece); Teledata Communications Do Brasil Ltd. (Brazil); T.D.C. Holdings B.V. (Netherlands); Teledata Communications (Philippines), Inc.; ADC Wireless Systems, Inc.; ADC Wireless Systems Holding Company, Inc.; ADC Metrica (U.K.); Metrica, Inc.; ADC Telecommunicaciones Venezuela, S.A.; ADC de Mexico, S.A. de C.V.; ADC Telecommunications Singapore Pte. Limited; AOFR Pty. Limited (Australia); ADC Mersum Oy (Finland); ADC Solitra Oy (Finland); ADC Mersum U.S., Inc.; ADC Solitra, Inc.; ADC de Juarez, S. de R.L. de C.V. (Mexico); ADC de Delicias, S. de R.L. de C.V. (Mexico); ADC Telecommunications China Limited (Hong Kong); ADC Telecommunications (Nanjing) Co. Ltd. (China); Nanjing ADC Broadband Communications Co., Ltd. (China); ADC International, Inc. (Barbados); ADC Telecommunicaciones Do Brasil LTDA (Brazil); ADC PHASOR Electronics GmbH (Austria); Nanjing ADC Teleco Equipment, Ltd. (China).
Statistics:
Public Company
Incorporated: 1935 as Audio Development Company; 1953 as Magnetic Controls Company
Employees: 8,000
Sales: $1.37 billion (1998)
Stock Exchanges: NASDAQ
Ticker Symbol: ADCT
NAIC: 33421 Telephone Apparatus Manufacturing; 33429 Other Communications Equipment Manufacturing; 334419 Other Electronic Component Manufacturing; 334417 Electronic Connector Manufacturing
Key People
• Chairman, President, and CEO: Robert E. (Bob) Switz
• VP and CFO: James G. (Jim) Mathews
• VP and CIO; President, Professional Services Business Unit: Christopher Jurasek
Address:
4900 West 78th Street
Minneapolis, Minnesota 55435
U.S.A.
ADC Telecommunications (NASDAQ: ADCT) is a communications company located in Eden Prairie, Minnesota, a southwest suburb of Minneapolis.
ADC Telecommunications, Inc. (ADC) is a provider of broadband communications network infrastructure products and related services. The Company's products offer solutions that enable the delivery of high-speed Internet, data, video and voice communications over wireline, wireless, cable, enterprise and broadcast networks. These products include fiber-optic, copper and coaxial based frames, cabinets, cables, connectors and cards, wireless capacity and coverage solutions, network access devices and other physical infrastructure components. It provides professional services to customers. These services help customers plan, deploy and maintain Internet, data, video and voice communication networks. It has three business segments: Global Connectivity Solutions, Network Solutions and Professional Services. In December 2010, Tyco Electronics Ltd. acquired the Company.
ADC Telecommunications, Inc. is a Minneapolis-based supplier of networking products and systems for telephone, cable television, Internet, broadcast, wireless, and private communications networks. ADC's systems and solutions enable local access and high-speed transmission of communications services from service providers to consumers and businesses over fiber-optic, copper, and wireless media. The company is a diversified niche marketer that has chosen to work closely with industry giants as a collaborator, rather than a competitor. Its systems and integration solutions are divided into four groups: broadband connectivity; business broadband; residential broadband; and integrated solutions. It has direct sales offices located in the United States, Canada, Europe, the Pacific Basin, Australia, and Central and South America.
Innovators in Telecommunications and Data Processing: 1930s--70s
Audio Development Company (later renamed ADC Incorporated) was founded by two Bell Laboratory engineers in 1935 as a telecommunications company that created custom transformers and amplifiers for the radio broadcast industry and also audiometers to test children's hearing. In 1941, while participating in a project to develop a sophisticated audio system for Coffman Union at the University of Minnesota, ADC also began to produce jacks, plugs, patch cords, and jackfields, foreshadowing its future involvement in the telephone industry.
Magnetic Controls Company was founded and incorporated in Minnesota in 1953, part of the wave of technological development during the postwar era. The company produced high-quality custom power supplies and magnetic amplifiers and was involved in military and space exploration programs. In 1961, Magnetic Controls merged with ADC Incorporated, and the new company, which used the umbrella name Magnetic Controls Company (ADC's trade name was retained in telecommunications), advanced its most significant innovation, the Bantam jack. This product was an amalgam of miniaturized components and became standard for telephone circuit access and patching. Magnetic Controls launched an ongoing involvement with major space missions in 1962, eventually designing and manufacturing sensors for the Columbia space shuttle.
The 1960s and 1970s ushered in technological advancement in all areas of telecommunications and data processing. Public and private computer use increased, and telecommunications evolved into the computer age, with telephonic digital transmission and the expansion of data communications. As an innovator in these fields, Magnetic Controls grew dramatically. In 1970, when Charles Denny was encouraged by shareholders to quit his marketing executive job at Honeywell and to take over leadership of the company, the company's earnings stood at $6 million. These compounded at 20 percent a year for the next 20 years.
Magnetic Controls Company pioneered yet another industry standard during the 1970s--the digital signal cross-connect product line to access and cross-connect digital telephony circuits. The company also developed specialized test boards for long-distance telephone companies, and designed and manufactured power conversion equipment for major data processing manufacturers. In addition to proliferating new products that addressed the digitalization of the industry, Magnetic Controls continued to introduce telecommunications hardware, including prewired connectorized jackfields and wired assemblies.
ADC's and its competitors' marketing strategies were dramatically affected in 1992 by workforce reductions and early retirement programs implemented by large local exchange carriers. With sales at $316 million and shares priced at $56.75, ADC had become a leader in a growth field in 1993. The advent of ATM technology and the scrambling of television, computer, and telephone industries to board the information superhighway had wireless telecommunications booming with a growth rate of 25 percent. Seeking to build a stronger relationship with its customers to secure longevity, ADC adopted strategies including simplifying product lines; providing more detailed support materials; and improving ordering, customer service, quality of products, and maintenance support.
The company's products included fiber-optic video, data, and voice transmission systems, and its clients included phone companies, TV broadcasters, and all major cable TV operators. Its new cellular radio switch was undergoing testing by seven large cellular phone operators. ADC continued to market new products, including an Ethernet converter, a coaxial cable delivery option for its Homeworx broadband access system, and a Sonoplex flexible access platform. ADC's Homeworx system was selected by Rochester Telephone Corp. in May 1993 for a six-month video-on-demand trial.
ADC became an "early follower" in the asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) market, announcing a multiyear agreement with Loral Data Systems for an ATM switch. The ATM switch would create the capability of handling the massive flows of simultaneous high-speed digital information that the industry projected would be generated during the latter half of the 1990s and into the 21st century, arising from the blending of the communications, computing, and entertainment industries. The company also landed a coup in March 1994 when Ameritech chose ADC to supply equipment for its $75--$100 million video system, to be developed over the next five years. This $4.4 billion project would bring 70 channels of analog television and 40 channels of digital video to customers, with unlimited program choices and interactive, customer-controllable programming.
Principal Subsidiaries: Fibermux Corporation; Kentrox Industries, Inc.; Skyline Technology, Inc.; ADC Broadband Communications, Inc.; Pathway, Inc.; Teledata Communications, Inc.; PCS Solutions, LLC; ADC Broadband Wireless Group, Inc.; ITS Service Company, Inc.; TPO Limited; ADC International OUS, Inc.; ADC OUS Holdings, LLC; Telesphere Solutions, Inc.; ADC Telecommunications Sales, Inc.; Princeton Optics, Inc.; Codenol Technology Corp.; AOFR Americas Inc.; ADC Teledata Communications Ltd. (Israel); Tdsoft Ltd. (Israel); G-Connect Ltd. (Israel); T-Link (Israel); TDC Teledata Communication GmbH (Germany); ADC Telecom Canada Inc.; ADC Europe N.V. (Belgium); ADC Telecommunications Netherlands B.V. (Netherlands); ADC Telecommunications GmbH (Germany); ADC Telecommunications U.K. Ltd.; ADC Telecommunications Australia Pty. Limited; ADC Telecommunications Holdings Pty. Limited (Australia); Teledata Communication Australia Pty. Ltd.; Teledata Manufacturing Australia Pty. Ltd.; Teledata Holdings Australia Pty. Ltd.; TDC (UK) Limited; Teledata Communications Hellas LLC (Greece); Teledata Communications Do Brasil Ltd. (Brazil); T.D.C. Holdings B.V. (Netherlands); Teledata Communications (Philippines), Inc.; ADC Wireless Systems, Inc.; ADC Wireless Systems Holding Company, Inc.; ADC Metrica (U.K.); Metrica, Inc.; ADC Telecommunicaciones Venezuela, S.A.; ADC de Mexico, S.A. de C.V.; ADC Telecommunications Singapore Pte. Limited; AOFR Pty. Limited (Australia); ADC Mersum Oy (Finland); ADC Solitra Oy (Finland); ADC Mersum U.S., Inc.; ADC Solitra, Inc.; ADC de Juarez, S. de R.L. de C.V. (Mexico); ADC de Delicias, S. de R.L. de C.V. (Mexico); ADC Telecommunications China Limited (Hong Kong); ADC Telecommunications (Nanjing) Co. Ltd. (China); Nanjing ADC Broadband Communications Co., Ltd. (China); ADC International, Inc. (Barbados); ADC Telecommunicaciones Do Brasil LTDA (Brazil); ADC PHASOR Electronics GmbH (Austria); Nanjing ADC Teleco Equipment, Ltd. (China).
Statistics:
Public Company
Incorporated: 1935 as Audio Development Company; 1953 as Magnetic Controls Company
Employees: 8,000
Sales: $1.37 billion (1998)
Stock Exchanges: NASDAQ
Ticker Symbol: ADCT
NAIC: 33421 Telephone Apparatus Manufacturing; 33429 Other Communications Equipment Manufacturing; 334419 Other Electronic Component Manufacturing; 334417 Electronic Connector Manufacturing
Key People
• Chairman, President, and CEO: Robert E. (Bob) Switz
• VP and CFO: James G. (Jim) Mathews
• VP and CIO; President, Professional Services Business Unit: Christopher Jurasek
Address:
4900 West 78th Street
Minneapolis, Minnesota 55435
U.S.A.
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