HOME :: NEWS & PRESS :: BROADBAND BOOM

News & Press

Boom in Broadband Boosts Advanced Compliance Solutions testing 60 percent

One of only three UL certified test labs expands staff, adds new building

Atlanta, GA - Advanced Compliance Solutions Inc.'s revenues jumped 60 percent in 2006 mainly due to the huge increase in broadband Internet infrastructure being deployed worldwide.

"We help broadband internet hardware companies such as Scientific Atlanta (a Cisco company), Arris Group, Wave 7 Optics, and Intel ensure their broadband products are compliant for the market in which they will be deployed," said Scott Proffitt, president and co-founder of ACS. "We provide the rigorous compliance testing and certification services that hardware manufacturing companies need for international regulatory approval."

“We have positioned ourselves to be able to serve the entire supply chain in the broadband hardware industry, from the cable head-end to the distribution equipment and last mile systems, to the cable modem and set-top box; from the central office to the living room.  We have also been involved in compliance for wireless hot-spots, Wide Area Networks installed by municipalities, and even broadband internet access hardware on Boeing aircraft for over 50 countries on six continents,” Proffitt says.   With the growth in this sector of the economy, ACS does not see a slow-down in their business for years to come.

Another factor in their rapid growth is in the partnerships they have formed.  ACS is one of only three independent laboratories in the nation accredited by Underwriters Laboratories Inc. to offer product safety testing on their behalf for information technology products including broadband infrastructure devices. “UL has been a great partner for us and our customers.  The relationship has allowed our customers to have a better product safety experience and has really opened up new markets for us that we would have otherwise not have been engaged in,” says Michael Proffitt, co-founder of the company and brother of Scott Proffitt. 

ACS also offers EMC, wireless certifications, environmental and product performance testing, as well as other regulatory approval services worldwide.

To capture projected growth of at least 40 percent in 2007, ACS executives recently purchased a second building and added a third shift to their testing operations. ACS also added a second anechoic chamber, which doubles the company's radio-frequency testing capacity and will allow ACS to offer additional testing services.

"Because we had just one anechoic chamber, we were bursting at the seams and couldn't take on new customers," said S. Proffitt. "A test plan can include up to 12 different tests of which two or three require the use of the anechoic chamber.  Having only one chamber created a bottleneck causing longer lead times for certifications. With this new chamber, we've cut the testing time required for FCC certification in half."

In order to serve more customers, the company doubled its staff and bought more lab space, which expands its total operations to 14,000 square feet in Buford, GA.

S. Proffit attributes their success to the people that work at ACS.  "Most of our engineers previously worked in manufacturing compliance positions and they fully understand the issues and challenges customers face when bringing a product to market," Proffitt said. "Our customers find that invaluable."

The engineers at ACS are constantly looking down the road at what new technologies are being developed.  “Market trends are moving rapidly toward the demand for more and more bandwidth.  Technologies such as VoIP, IPTV, Fiber-to-the-Home; and WiMax are making the Internet the communications network of the future,”says Sam Wismer, ACS’ Technical Director.  “We have really seen a marked increase in broadband products being designed and certified for the emerging markets in Central and South America and particularly the Pacific Rim.”

“We’re working hard, but we are really enjoying being in the middle of all of this change in the global markets,” said Wismer.

                                                            ###

About Advanced Compliance Solutions Inc.
Advanced Compliance Solutions Inc., located just north of Atlanta Georgia, offers EMC, product safety, environmental and product performance testing, and regulatory approval services. More information can be found at www.acstestlab.com.

If you have any questions, please contact an ACS representative for more information. If you have a specific testing challenge, request a quote from ACS today!

---

Home :: About ACS :: Testing Services :: Our Facilities :: Consulting Services
Request a Quote :: Industry Links :: News & Press :: Contact Us