| ABOUT |
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OSP
INNOVATIONS™ for More than 40 Years
Founded
in the family basement in 1968 on the basic philosophy of being the
best-cost solution provider to the industries it serves, Charles
Industries has always strived to listen to its customers needs and respond
with innovative, timely solutions.
Today
Charles is a privately held, diversified manufacturing
and high-technology company with corporate headquarters in Rolling
Meadows, Illinois and five U.S. manufacturing centers. Charles sells
quality products, services and innovative solutions to telecommunications,
municipality, utility, marine, and industrial markets worldwide.
Over the years, Charles
has successfully balanced growth through innovative engineering and
manufacturing, as well as strategic acquisitions. A significant addition
to Charles’ Telecommunications Group was the acquisition of Rockwell
International’s Wescom division in 1991. In 1998, Charles acquired
Alcatel’s T1 and channel bank product lines to complement its existing Access & Transmission
and Outside Plant products. One year later, Charles
acquired Lucent’s Flexterm® terminal housing equipment line.
Driven
by “Customer Satisfaction through Continuous Improvement”, Charles’
strategic initiative for growth stands clear… to enable internal and
external customers to better serve their customers. Charles remains
committed to providing solutions that are innovative, reliable,
competitively priced, and backed by industry-leading customer service.
Telecommunications
Group
Charles supplies a comprehensive line of outside plant environmental
protection solutions for copper, fiber, coax and wireless applications.
The Pedlock®, the industry’s first non-metallic buried cable terminal
housing, has proven to be the pedestal of choice amongst major and
independent telephone and CATV companies for its high-quality, durability
and low installation and maintenance costs. Charles Fiber Distribution
Point™ (CFDP) pedestals lead the industry in the level of environmental
protection they provide for above-grade fiber splice points. Other OSP product lines
include riser pipes, terminal blocks, network interface devices, apparatus
cases, cable stubs, load coils and building entrance housings.
Charles is also aiding service providers in their efforts to provide
affordable universal broadband. Charles' copper connectivity
solutions include the High-Speed Voice and Data Link™ (HVDL)
System, AdrenaLine™ DSL Line Conditioners, and the SmartCoil: three
product lines that help deliver extended-reach DSL to hard-to-reach
subscribers. Other access & transmission solutions
include copper pair-gain systems, T1 channel banks, T1 span termination
equipment, and T1
mini-repeaters.
Marine
& Industrial Group
Charles’ Marine and Industrial Group strives to provide “Solid
Power” solutions for recreational boaters, workboats, and industrial
equipment. Marine product
lines include marine UL Listed electronic switching and ferroresonant
battery chargers, power cables and adapters, isolation & boosting
transformers, and onboard communications systems. Industrial product lines
include power inverters, battery chargers and electronic transformers.
Customer Service, Quality, Innovation,
Integration...
Our success is built upon our
core competencies.
Building Long-Term
Relationships
Through
integrity, mutual respect, communication, initiative and teamwork; by committing
to continuous improvement through strategic planning, technological innovation
and cost-effective operations; by encouraging and enhancing vertical integration
in our manufacturing operations; by building on our current strengths and
developing new competencies, to enable our customers to prosper into the
millennium, and beyond.
Our Strength Is Our People
We
recognize that our strength comes from our employees...our customers...our
partners…our suppliers...and the communities in which we operate. Our
entrepreneurial tradition is fostered by the attitude that problems are
opportunities to be tackled with intensity of effort and a sense of urgency. At
Charles, we don’t just talk about the future...we make it happen.
Five Manufacturing Centers with over 500 employees
Advanced Vertically Integrated Operations
• Fine-Pitch SMT (Surface Mount Technology) and Thru-hole component
placement
• Multi-layer printed circuit board component insertion
• Plastic Injection Molding; 25-700 ton
• Plastic Extrusion and forming
• Sheet Metal Fabrication and assembly
• Coil and Transformer winding, assembly and test
• Integration of electrical and mechanical assemblies
• Robotic and automated process integration
• Fully integrated CAD/ CAM, Development and Manufacturing systemsEngineering Research & Development:
From Concept Through
Completion
• Experienced engineers facilitate "in-house" development for
all aspects of design including mechanical, electrical, printed-circuit
board layout and software applications
• Electrical engineers
specializing in hardware design
• Software application engineers
• Mechanical engineers
specializing in hardware
fabrication and system
integration
• Extensive
customer collaboration during concept development and prototype phases
• Significant Research & Development investment in simulation tools,
design verification tools, and advanced prototyping capabilities
• State-of-the-art technologies in software, microelectronics and digital
signal processing to address customer specific requirements
• Environmental Testing and Long Duration Testing labs for customer,
agency, and validation testing
• Networked Documentation system for constant data management exchange |
Quality
Assurance: CSCI
• CSCI (Customer Satisfaction through Continuous Improvement) Quality
Management System
• All facilities ISO 9001 registered
• All telecommunications facilities TL 9000 registered
• Charter member of QuEST (Quality Excellence for Suppliers of
Telecommunications)
• Products meet UL, CuL, FCC, NEBS, Telecordia and other standards as
specified by our customersMaterials Management
• World class inventory management systems
• Global purchasing resources
• VMI and Key Supplier Partnering
• Supplier measurement tracking
Information Technology:
• Business System Application: IBM AS/400 with RISC processor serving Unix
and Windows NT Server to PC based integrated environment.
• Corporate Network: Windows NT LAN backbone with T1 WAN interface to all
facilities
• Current and consistent hardware and software linking
• Electronic Document Interchange (EDI) links to customers
• Sales Force Automation Tools: Provides constant communication and
information exchange Human
Resources Capabilities/Commitments:
• 60 percent of our workforce has been with Charles for more than five
years
• Continuous professional development programs
• Adherence to governmental safety environmental workplace guidelines
• Comprehensive benefits programs including: Medical, Dental, Vision, Life
Insurance, and 401K |
North America Locations:
| • Illinois |
Rolling
Meadows: World Headquarters (all groups)
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Casey (2 facilities)
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Marshall
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Rantoul
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| • Missouri |
Canton |
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