by History and Growth
US Lightning Products Inc was founded in 1985 in Tampa, Florida by Paul Coleman. Starting from a small garage workshop, the company focused on developing innovative lightning protection systems for homes and commercial buildings. Within a few years, it became the largest manufacturer of whole house lightning protection systems in the US with nationwide distribution.
By the late 1990s, the company had expanded its product line beyond residence protection to include lightning safety equipment for various industries. Notable among these were lightning prediction devices and lightning detection sensors for the aviation and meteorology sectors. This helped the company tap new revenue streams and boost its annual turnover.
In 2000, US Lightning Products completed its initial public offering and got listed on NASDAQ. The IPO proceeds were utilized to set up a new automation facility near Atlanta, Georgia. Over the next decade, the company continued its aggressive expansion both domestically as well as internationally through a network of distributors across Europe, Asia and Latin America.
The company also entered into strategic partnerships with several engineering schools and research institutes to work on new product designs. This led to patenting of many path-breaking technologies in lightning safety. Today, US Lightning Products has over 500 employees across three manufacturing plants located in Florida, Georgia and Wisconsin. Its product offerings have grown to include 25 different categories serving a wide array of end-user industries.
Product Categories and Innovation
Some of the key product categories that US Lightning focuses on include:
Whole House Lightning Protection Systems: The company was a pioneer in developing whole house lightning protection for residential homes. Its complete system kits aim to shield an entire home from lightning strikes through air terminals, down conductors and grounding grids. Over 1.5 million homes in North America currently use US Lightning protection systems.
Surge Protection Devices: Surge protectors for sensitive electronics have been a fast growing segment. US Lightning produces UL rated surge protection panels as well as point-of-use surge suppressors for appliances, networking devices and motors. The devices help reduce equipment failures and downtime from power surges.
Lightning Detection Sensors: For applications like airport lightning warning systems, meteorological monitoring networks and golf courses, US Lightning supplies a wide range of VLF and LF/MF lightning mapping sensors. The self-contained units accurately detect first return strokes with distances of up to 250 kms.
Aviation Lightning Warning Products: Through its subsidiary Stormscope, the company manufactures TAMDWS (Terminals with Airborne Meteorological Data Reporting Systems) for general aviation aircraft. These integrate a lightning activity mapper with an WAAS-enabled GPS navigator for real-time weather avoidance.
Lightning Prediction Systems: Products under the Thunderbolt brand forecast lightning potential up to 60 minutes in advance through proprietary algorithms. Applications span outdoor events/venues, construction sites, oil/gas pipelines and telecom towers. The systems issue automated alerts to evacuate hazard zones before storms.
In recent years, US Lightning has also focused on renewable energy sector with solutions like lightning safety earthing systems for wind farms and photovoltaic plants. The company spends over 5% of annual revenues on R&D to continually develop its patented Inverse Faraday Cage technology as well as integrate advances in IoT and data science. Moving forward, its roadmap involves cloud connectivity of lightning monitoring infrastructure for web-based analytics and predictive maintenance applications.
Quality Standards and Market Reach
Quality has always been a core tenet for US Lightning right from conceptualization of initial products. All facets of manufacturing strictly adhere to ISO 9001 standards while components sourcing follows IEC 62305 guidelines for protection against lightning. Further, independent testing of finished goods is routinely carried out by accredited labs as per rigid protocols of UL (Underwriters Laboratories), NEMA (National Electrical Manufacturers Association) and NFPA (National Fire Protection Association) .
This focus on quality assurance translates to industry-leading customer satisfaction levels. Over the decades, the brand name synonymous with high reliability has found acceptability even in conservative sectors like utilities, aviation and oil & gas. US Lightning also prides itself with installations across diverse climatic zones from Arctic Circle to Equatorial regions thus validating universal robustness of its offerings.
As regards market presence, the company directly serves USA and Canada through a distribution network of 250 partners. Exports currently account for 30% of total revenues with Western Europe, Middle East, Australia and Japan forming the major international markets. However, emerging economies of Asia and Latin America present significant untapped opportunities going forward considering rapidly expanding construction activity and industrialization in these regions.
US Lightning Products Inc has firmly cemented its position as the foremost innovator and provider of lightning safety equipment in the global arena. What started as a small startup is today a prominent publicly listed corporation spearheading advancements to protect lives and critical infrastructure from lightning related damage and hazards. Backed by a strong financial position as well as consistent focus on R&D, it is well poised for continued leadership and growth in the coming years.
*Note:
1. Source: Coherent Market Insights, Public sources, Desk research
2. We have leveraged AI tools to mine information and compile it
