Growth is hard to come by these days, with the economy taking a nose dive. Some companies are finding creative ways to get their products into the market, as detailed in the story below about AR Worldwide. And some are discovering new uses for their products. One stunning example of this comes from spread-spectrum radio developer FreeWave Technologies.
In catching up recently with the firm's spokesman, the always affable Colin Lippincott, it was a pleasure to learn of the company's success in selling previously introduced 900-MHz and new 2.4-GHz spread-spectrum radio modems for cathodic protection monitoring of pipelines and other metallic structures. Pipelines, which can carry vital water, oil, and other necessities over long distances, can suffer from physical deterioration over time. These radios allow instant remote monitoring in place of sending inspection crews along the length of a pipeline. While this may not be the first application that comes to mind for such high-date-rate radios, it is an inspiring example of finding sales where few thought to look.