ADC Telecommunications

Infobox_Company
company_name = ADC Telecommunications
company_
company_type = Public Nasdaq|ADCT
company_slogan =
foundation = Minneapolis, Minnesota 1935
location = Eden Prairie, Minnesota, USA
key_people = Robert E. Switz, President & CEO
num_employees = 9,047
industry = Communications Services
products = Networking hardware, Wireless Coverage & Capacity,Telecommunications
revenue = profit$1.322 billion USD (FY2007)
homepage = [http://www.adc.com/ www.adc.com]

ADC Telecommunications (Nasdaq|ADCT) is a communications company located in Eden Prairie, Minnesota, a southwest suburb of Minneapolis.

Overview

In the unrelenting drive for bandwidth, communications service providers across the globe increasingly rely on ADC to eliminate the bottlenecks in the delivery of high-speed, high-quality video, data and voice services to consumers and businesses — in the home, in the office and on the go. With an industry-leading portfolio of network infrastructure solutions and services, ADC supports their customers as they continue to invest heavily in the migration to next generation networks. This transformation impacts the “last mile/kilometer”— the network area where ADC helps smooth the convergence of wireline and wireless applications and transitions infrastructure from its legacy copper and circuit origins to a fiber and packet architecture.

Since ADC was founded in 1935, it has become a world leader in providing global network infrastructure products and services that enable the profitable delivery of high-speed Internet, video, data, and voice services to residential, business and mobile subscribers worldwide. With the acquisition of the KRONE Group in 2004, ADC now offers global copper- and fiber-based connectivity solutions and cabling products used in public access and enterprise networks and provides global scale and expanded products and services to better serve customers anywhere in the world.

History

In 1935, Ralph Allison founded ADC Telecommunications in the basement of his south Minneapolis home, inventing ADC's very first product, the audiometer, an electronic device designed to test hearing.

Two years later, fellow engineer Walt Lehnert joined Allison, and together they diversified the company's product line to include amplifiers and transformers for the broadcast industry. By 1942, the company had designed a sophisticated audio system for the University of Minnesota, and the resulting jacks, plugs, patch cords and jackfields became the cornerstones for ADC's later entry into telecommunications.

In 1949, ADC sold its audiometer product line and Ralph Allison left the company to form a new business in California. ADC diversified and focused its efforts in the area of transformers and filters for power lines, military electronics, telephone jacks and plugs. In 1961, ADC merged with Magnetic Controls Company, a manufacturer of power supplies and magnetic amplifiers with strong ties to the U.S. space program. The resulting company, ADC Magnetic Controls, had a decade of mixed success. Although transformer sales boomed during the 1960s, other new product initiatives failed to materialize. Perhaps the most significant product innovation during this period was the bantam jack, a miniaturized component that eventually became the standard for telephone circuit access and patching. Building on its growing sales of jacks and plugs in the early 1970s, ADC introduced prewired, connectorized jackfields, wired assemblies and test equipment for telephone operating companies. By 1974 the company was on solid ground, and by 1976, ADC had become the largest independent supplier of test boards in the United States.

ADC grew in 1983, when AT&T was ordered to deregulate by the federal government. By establishing the seven Regional Bell Operating Company (RBOC) carriers as independent entities, the U.S. market for telecommunications expanded by 90 percent. ADC became a supplier for the RBOCs.

ADC embarked on some acquisitions in the early 1990s, attempting to move "up the stack" in the datacom field by acquiring companies that manufactured datacom equipment. However, their ability to find synergies between these companies proved limited and eventually ADC was forced to move away from a hardware-only strategy, broadening out into software. This effort resulted in limited success as well, and happening about the same time as the dot-com bubble burst, caused ADC stock to plummet.

Despite these ups and downs, ADC has survived. Today, ADC is leading the way through a transforming communications marketplace by focusing on the network needs and business challenges of customers in more than 130 countries around the world.

Corporate acquisitions

In 1993, ADC acquired Fibermux Corp., a manufacturer of LAN Hubs and Data Multiplexers, later merging the Fibermux division with the [http://www.kentrox.com/ Kentrox] subsidiary. ADC also acquired American Lightwave Systems, a manufacturer of uncompressed video transport equipment for telecom carriers. This division was later sold to C-COR Electronics. In 1996, ADCT merged with ITS (Information Transmission Systems) but has since sold it off. In FY2005, ADC acquired Fiber Optic Network Solutions (FONS) to expand its FTTX offerings and OpenCell to enhance its wireless coverage and capacity offerings. In 2007 ADC acquired LGC Wireless to expand its portfolio of wireless coverage and capacity products and services. In 2008, ADC expanded its market presence and manufacturing capacity in China with the acquisition of Century Man Communications.

Businesses

ADC's customers are served regionally around the world by businesses focused on solutions designed for telecommunications, wireless, cable, and enterprise networks. The business units within ADC developing products and services include Global Connectivity Solutions, Network Solutions and Professional Services. These organizations service all types of networks through a combination of equipment, solutions and services.

Products and Services

Connectivity - ADC is a leading global fiber infrastructure supplier with solutions that accelerate the deployment of fiber-intensive broadband networks serving business, residential and mobile subscribers.

Service providers worldwide are looking to ADC connectivity products to simplify network installation, maintenance and management from the central office/headend, through the outside plant, all the way to the premises. ADC's fiber and copper connectivity portfolio, including OmniReach FTTX Solutions for the outside plant, offers scalable cost-efficient solutions for any type of architecture, providing enhanced services to subscribers and new sources of revenue for service providers. In addition, ADC's acquisition of Century Man Communication in China strengthens their position in this fast-growing connectivity market and enables them to meet the unique needs of developing countries.

From global financial institutions to universities to government agencies, new technologies and advanced business requirements that consume more bandwidth require rethinking the entire enterprise network infrastructure. Engineered to maximize uptime, ADC’s TrueNet portfolio provides copper and fiber cable, connectivity and cable management solutions for the world’s most sophisticated data centers and local area networks. ADC products are designed to use less space, protect fiber-optic cables and promote energy efficiency, while supporting the high-speed delivery of mission-critical services.

ADC continues to innovate. Connectivity products, such as reduced-bend radius fiber cables, high-density frames and multiple dwelling unit (MDU) solutions, lead the industry in supporting the delivery of high-bandwidth services. They are also a leading supplier for reliable, high-performance high-definition video and multichannel audio connectivity products used by broadcasters and service providers worldwide.

Wireless - With today’s converged wireless applications outstripping wireless networks’ capabilities, ADC is delivering the next-generation Radio Access Network (RAN) to improve both coverage and capacity in high-demand and hard-to-reach locations. They are helping change the way people communicate through our high performance and scalable FlexWave solutions for wireless networking. From extending fiber reach, to increasing indoor and outdoor coverage and capacity, to providing high-speed wireless backhaul, carriers consistently look to ADC for reliable solutions that increase revenue, lower churn and improve customer satisfaction.

ADC is well positioned to meet the diverse customer and geographic needs of the constantly evolving wireless marketplace. Their recent acquisition of LGC Wireless and its innovative in-building solutions expands their wireless product portfolio and accelerates the execution of ADC’s All-IP RAN, creating a comprehensive portfolio of market-leading solutions for carriers and the enterprise.

Wireline - ADC’s wireline products enable delivery of high-capacity voice and data services over copper or optical facilities in the “last mile/kilometer” of communications networks, while integrating capabilities that can help reduce capital and operating costs. The LoopStar and PONy Express product families provide flexible and economical optical transport platforms for both legacy voice and next-generation protocols. When building a new network or managing or expanding an existing one, ADC solutions support the delivery of a wide array of business service and cell site backhaul offerings for carriers and the enterprise, for a variety of different transmission rates and protocols.

Professional Services - With deep experience in multivendor, multitechnology and multiservice networks, ADC supports customers throughout the technology lifecycle. They help create and maintain wireline, wireless, cable and enterprise networks in North America and Europe — from network design, build-out, turn-up and testing to ongoing maintenance and training. Customers rely on ADC to plan, deploy and maintain networks delivering commercial and residential broadband services. ADC is also expanding support of wireless carriers and cable operators while continuing to serve as a cost-effective resource for their customers.

Customers

Customers around the world include local and long distance telephone companies, cable television operators, Internet/data communications providers, wireless service providers, private network operators, and broadcast television operators. Examples of this vast customer base include, AT&T, Bank of England, Bloomberg, British Telecom, China TelecomCingular, Citi Bank, Comcast, Dell, Deutsche Telekom, Ford, GlaxoSmithKline, Hong Kong Telecom, HSBC, JPMorgan Chase, Mayo Clinic, Morgan Stanley, NBC, Sprint Nextel, Reliance Infocom (India), Rolls Royce, Qwest, T-Mobile, Seagrams, Verizon, and many others.

Executives

*Robert E. Switz is the current President and CEO.Other senior executives include:
*Hilton Nicholson - Corporate Vice President & President, Network Solutions Business Unit
*Pat O'Brien - Corporate Vice President & President, Global Connectivity Solutions Business Unit
*Richard Parran - Corporate Vice President & President, ADC Professional Services Business Unit]
*Laura Owen - Chief Administrative Officer
*Michael Day -Chief Technical Officer
*Jim Mathews -Chief Financial Officer
*Chris Jurasek - Chief Information Officer
*Kimberly Hartwell - Vice President, Americas Sales, Marketing and Customer Service
*Jeff Pflaum - Vice President, General Counsel
*Mark Borman - Vice President, Investor Relations

External links

* [http://www.ADC.com/ ADC web site]
* [http://finance.yahoo.com/q?s=ADCT Yahoo! ADC, Inc. Company Profile]
* [http://www.adc.com/newsandevents/adcinthenews/ADC in the news]