Pelican Products
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Pelican Products is an American multinational company that designs and manufactures flashlights and cases. Their products are used in many industries including military, police, firefighting and entertainment. Pelican has over 1,500 employees worldwide. Pelican is based in Torrance, California and also has distribution centers in Barcelona, Spain; Edmonton, Canada; Tokyo, Japan; and Adelaide, Australia.
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[edit] History
Pelican Products was founded in Torrance, California in 1975 by David and Arline Parker as a mail-order home business. It was David Parker's desire to develop unique and practical products for the dive market. In October 2004, a private equity investment firm Behrman Capital, paid about $200 million for Pelican Products. In August 2006, Behrman Capital announced that Lyndon J. Faulkner has been named CEO, succeeding retired David H. Parker. In January 2009, Pelican Products announced the acquisition of long-time competitor, Hardigg Industries of South Deerfield, Massachusetts, the world’s largest manufacturer of roto molded protective cases. The combined company has more than 1,500 employees. Pelican Products now operates in 12 countries, has 22 offices globally and maintain six manufacturing locations throughout Europe and North America.
[edit] Cases
Pelican cases are molded plastic containers that seal with an airtight and watertight gasket. Pelican cases include a barometric relief valve made of Gore-Tex to prevent pressure damage to the case, during transportation or when the air pressure in the environment changes. Pelican cases meet standards for waterproofing, stacking, impact, and durability including MIL-STD C4150-J for waterproofing, IEC IP67 rating indicating complete sealing against dust and water immersion to 1 metre, as well as ATA 300 rating indicating compliance with Air Transport Association standards for durability in shipping. Pelican cases feature a lifetime guarantee. In Europe, they are sold as Peli cases due to the name "Pelican" being trade marked by another company.
If the case falls into water, generally there will be enough air in the case to keep it afloat. The barometric relief valve permits air to pass through, but not water or other liquids. Under some extreme conditions leakage is technically possible, but such conditions are unlikely to be encountered, except in the case of deliberate vandalism.
[edit] Flashlights
Pelican flashlights (known as Pelican Lights) use Xenon[disambiguation needed 
], Halogen, and LED lamps. Many are safety approved with features such as valves, anti-shock systems, and battery polarity guards. The safety approvals[1] include ETL (Edison Testing Labs), UL (Underwriters Laboratories), FM (Factory Mutual), CE-EX (ATEX Europe), CSA (Canadian Standards Association), MSHA (Mine Safety and Health Administration)[2] and the AUS (Australian Board of Approvals). These flashlights are popular with divers due to their common waterproof feature. They are also highly regarded by Merchant Mariners who need a flashlight to be durable, waterproof and rated for hazardous environments due to their work environment.
[edit] Remote area lighting
Pelican's Advanced Area Lighting Group (AALG) designs and manufacturers a variety of battery powered, remote area lighting solutions (RALS). These range from single head, hand held units to deployable units with up to four separate LED heads, as well as tent lighting. Rapid setup and long run times make these a favorite of emergency responders, military, maintenance workers and others.
[edit] Technology
Flashlight and equipment case technology that Pelican has made improvements on include the use of Gore-Tex membranes in cases. Pelican also has its own patented designs, such as the Recoil LED. One of their newest inventions, the 7060 LED flashlight, is used by the Los Angeles Police Department as its standard issue duty light.[3][4]
[edit] Mass media
The Travel Channel show John Ratzenberger's Made in America had an episode about Pelican products.[5]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ "Safety Approvals". www.comptoncontrols.com. Compton Controls. unknown. http://www.comptoncontrols.com/c-19-safety-approvals.aspx. Retrieved 2007-11-26.[dead link]
- ^ "List of Approved Products". www.msha.gov. Mining Safety Health Administration. September 2001. http://www.msha.gov/techsupp/acc/lists/monthly/2001/Sept2001.htm. Retrieved 2007-11-26.
- ^ "New LAPD Flashlight Avoids Use As Weapon". www.knbc.com (NBC4 TV). 30 March 2007. http://www.knbc.com/news/11454136/detail.html. Retrieved 2007-11-26.
- ^ "Los Angeles Police Department First in Nation to Roll Out New Revolutionary Flashlight for Its 10,000 Sworn Officers" (Press release). Pelican Products. 20 March 2007. http://www2.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/03-30-2007/0004556864&EDATE=. Retrieved 2007-11-26.
- ^[dead link] "Alliance Rubber Bands, Pelican Products, Benjamin Moore". travel.discovery.com. Travel Channel. unknown. http://travel.discovery.com/tv/ratzenberger-america/goods/rubber-band.html. Retrieved 2007-11-26.
