Call: (641) 424-0370 

News

FRC

FRC to Produce Critical Safety Gear: Face Masks and Face Shields

Mason City, Iowa – 15 May 2020

To address the surging demand for masks during the global outbreak of the novel coronavirus, COVID-19, the FRC Group (under its FRC Medical Division) is quickly ramping up production with the ambitious goal of manufacturing millions of masks in both the United States and its facilities overseas.

The FRC Group has made significant investments in a number of existing FRC facilities in the US as well as overseas. To kick off this new venture, the Mason City plant in Iowa will be the first to see this product come on-line in the next few weeks. In addition, the FRC Group is adding a similar production line at its Palm Bay, Florida facility.

“We are honored to support these mission-critical efforts by national and local governments to protect Americans with high-quality protective gear, made right here in the United States,” said Ahmed M. Elmahdawy, Chairman and CEO of the FRC Group.
To meet the unprecedented demand, the FRC Group is prepared to convert even more of its existing manufacturing footprint within its US and global factories.

In addition to face masks, the FRC Group has begun producing Face Shields in the same facilities - a natural fit with our existing capabilities and expertise in the injection molding industry.

For information on how to protect yourself during the COVID-19 pandemic, contact your local health care professionals, or visit websites of the CDC and World Health Organization (WHO).

(www.FRCmedical.com)


FRC Releases New Product Line of Planar Transformer

FRC Releases New Product Line of Planar Transformer

Mason City, Iowa - 2 November 2017
FRC
, today announced a release of their new product line of Planar Transformer.

“Our main consumers have been asking us for a more affordable, efficient and smaller transformer and we’ve responded by developing and introducing this planar transformer line,” said Dr. Ahmed Elmahdawy, CEO of FRC Group, “Throughout our company, we strive to meet and exceed our customers product requirement and I believe that this new Planar Product line is probably the most cost effective solution for high frequency high power density power conversion equipments available today; which is a testimony of our commitment to our customers and this market.” 

Product Introduction and Performance:

Planar transformers are devices used to exact standards with precise electrical characteristics such as capacitance, output, and aspect ratio. They are used to carry out military and aerospace projects.

Planar transformers are high frequency transformers used in isolated switchmode power supplies operating at high frequency. As opposed to conventional "wire-wound-on-a-bobbin" transformers, planar transformers usually contain winding turns made of thin copper sheets riveted together at the ends of turns in case of high current windings, or windings etched on a PCB in a spiral form. As the current conductors are thin sheets of copper, the operating frequency is not limited by the skin effect. As such, high power converters built with planar transformers can be designed to operate at relatively high switching frequencies, often 100kHz or above. This reduces the size of required magnetic components and capacitors, thereby increasing power density.

Highly efficient - yet compact - power conversion is fundamental to continued profitable growth of the telecommunications and data processing industries and of many others. Power conversion sub-systems furnish electrical energy in a form needed by these end-use equipments - 50volts DC for telecommunications, 5volts DC or 3volts DC for computers - are but typical examples. For safety reasons, transformers must invariably be incorporated, to galvanically isolate the end equipments from the 230volts or 117volts, 50 or 60 Hz AC mains, as well as to adapt the output voltage to the proper level. In such units, size is directly related to switching frequency, higher frequencies translating into smaller volume, and also into higher efficiency, if the right transformer design is chosen. In the past, operating frequencies much above 20kHz were precluded by the non-availability of suitable switching transistors. Now, with power MOSFETs (Metal-Oxide Semiconductor Field-Effect Transistor) capable of converting power at frequencies well above 200kHz, the major obstacles to ongoing performance improvements in power supplies are the limitations inherent in conventional "wire-wound-on-a-bobbin" transformers and companion inductors.

Transformers made of the planar principle eliminate virtually all the shortcomings of old-fashioned wire wound types. In a planar design, the windings are made so of copper foil lead frames or printed circuit boards. (a flat copper spirals laminated into thin dielectric substrates). These windings are then sandwiched, along with appropriate insulators, between large area, yet thin, state-of-the-art ferrite cores. This construction technique yields a host of benefits :

Advantages Over Conventional Counterparts:

High power density
 Significantly reduced height (low profile)
 Greater surface area, resulting in improved heat dissipation capability
 Greater magnetic cross-section area, enabling fewer turns
 Smaller winding area
 Winding structure facilitates interleaving
 Lower leakage inductance resulting from fewer turns and interleaved windings
 Less AC winding resistance
 Excellent reproducibility, enabled by winding structure 
 High efficiency 98%
 Low leakage inductance, typically less than 0.2% for ungapped cores
 Low profile, small volume, for high power density equipment designs
 Unparalleled working frequency range : 50kHz to 1MHz
 Unmatched repeatability and predictability : All windings are pre- tooled
 Configurations for all Switchmode Power Supply (SMPS) topologies
 Multiple windings available (from one to seven secondaries)
 10W - 20kW power ratings
 Efficient High cooling
 High Efficient Heat dissipation and cooling
 Low weight : 15g per 100W
 Minimum Electromagnetic Interference (EMI)
 Wide Operating temperature range : -55°C to +130°C


About Company:

FRC, an international company with headquarters in Florida, develops and manufactures avionics and telecommunications products. 

For more information see www.frccorp.com. 


Contact:

FRC Group
Ziad Yacoub, Dir. of Engineering
(641) 424-0370 x223


FRC Goes Solar

FRC Goes Solar

Mason City, Iowa - 18 July 2014 - FRC , an international company with headquarters in Florida, develops and manufactures avionics and telecommunication products. Its Mason City, Iowa facility has just been equipped with a 502kW High Efficiency Solar System. Now the largest solar production site in Iowa, this photovoltaic solar array has been installed in about 1.5 acres on the north side of FRC's facility.
As a company that has been diligent in pursuing competitive advantages and protecting the local jobs in the regional area, and as a large consumer of electricity, FRC saw solar power as an effective solution to increase its competitiveness and to reduce its operating costs. This installation will generate approximately 710,000 kWh of solar energy per year and is expected to provide about 60 percent of the company’s energy consumption. This solar system will reduce the company's electricity costs, but more importantly will provide a 25 year hedge against future electricity price increases.
Mohamed Raji, Sr. Vice President of the FRC Group, said, "While making the switch to solar has been a large capital investment for our business, we see it as a wise investment decision. Turning to solar power will be critical to the long-term success of our business as it will enhance our competitiveness and the longevity of our operations."
This investment also demonstrates FRC's proactive choice to switch away from traditional sources of electricity generation and support cleaner renewable energy alternatives. This solar project will reduce the factory's carbon CO2 footprint by up to 14,555 tons over the life of the system. The gains are equivalent to removing 29,110,000 vehicle miles off the road, recycling 45,994 tons of waste versus sending it to the landfill, the electricity used by more than 1,650 average American homes, or planting 339,132 trees.
Ahmed Elmahdawy, CEO, states, "We are proud to invest in this solar project and become more sustainable, while also sending a message to others across Iowa and the U.S. that supporting clean sources of electricity is a sound business decision and an important choice in reducing climate risk."


FRC

FRC Announces Complete Mobile WiMAX Product Portfolio and Solution

Gainesville, Florida – February 21, 2012; FRC announced today that it is offering its 3.65GHz band, FCC certified, WiMAX products. The U.S. 3.65 GHz operators now have the ability to leverage the performance of an 802.16e solution with FRC MAX 3650, while benefiting from the economies of scale generated by the WiMAX ecosystem. FRC has been instrumental in developing and commercializing broadband wireless solutions for various market segments for more than 10 years.
FRC is proud to announce that it now has the most extensive 802.162 WiMAX product line in the industry. Our Base Station and Subscriber Stations products support the full range of 2.3-2.7Ghz, 3.3-3.8Ghz and 4.9-5.8Ghz frequencies. This fleet of products enables WiMAX Operators like you to offer wireless broadband services to residential and enterprise users, as well as users who are constantly on the move. The products are fully compliant with the 802.16e-2005 standard and deliver excellent radio frequency performance and high capacity throughput.
FRC is currently shipping its WiMAX products to service providers all over the world. During the past few years, we have deployed more than one thousand Base Stations and tens of thousands of subscriber stations. These service provider companies selected the FRC WiMAX MAX solution for its ease of deployment, network scalability, and high-throughput capacity. Operators can offer differentiated services through QoS for bandwidth-hungry applications such as voice and video.
“We are pleased to extend to our valued customers an extensive product offering and tailored solutions for their state-of-the-art wireless network,” said Dr. Ahmed Hady, President and CEO. Dr. Hady continued, “We recognize the benefits of our WiMAX technology suite designed specifically for the 3.65GHz band. We intend to continue our development to target other geographic areas for the deployment of WiMAX and to identify the most appropriate long-term technology road map which could include the migration of WiMAX to LTE using TD-LTE.”
“The primary aim has always been our commitment to meeting our customers’ network needs and we continue to grow and advance our offering in line with this principle,” said Mohamed Raji, Sr. Vice President. “We offer a flexible, powerful line-up of the latest 802.16e wireless broadband solutions that are designed to support the growth of our customers in a variety of carrier and vertical markets. We are excited about our new line of 4G products and offerings.”
About FRC
FRC, a US manufacturer of broadband wireless and avionics products, was founded in 1977 and is one of the world’s premier suppliers of avionics components. The company’s expertise is based on its significant experience in RF and microwave products, software development and precision manufacturing. FRC is headquartered in Gainesville, Florida with additional business locations in the United States, Portugal, Taiwan and the MENA region (Egypt, Dubai and Jordan). (www.frccorp.com)


FRC

FRC launches 5.8GHz WiMAX suite of products

Iowa, USA – December 23, 2010. FRC Internet Products, a pioneer in advanced wireless technology products and solutions, today announced the launch of its 5GHz suite of WiMAX products. This product suite caters to both the licensed and unlicensed frequency spectrums allowing wireless Internet service providers (WISPs) to deploy wireless high –speed broadband access networks.
FRC’s 5GHz suite (4.9-5.8GHz) of WiMAX products includes base stations, subscriber stations, Authentication Authorization and Accounting (AAA) server and Network Management System(NMS).
FRC’s base stations are among the smallest units in the world enabling easy handling and installation. FRC’s unique all-outdoor base station units allow an operator to install them directly on towers, rooftops, traffic poles, walls, etc. without the requirement of AC housing. FRC’s innovative and patented architecture, coupled with the convenience of easy installation and the absence of AC housing, makes it extremely easy and cost-effective for operators to install and manage networks, bringing down the operating expenditure and Capex by more than 50%. FRC has already deployed its nationwide and first 5.3GHz WiMAX in the Kingdom of Jordon.
With the launch of its 5GHz suite of WiMAX products, FRC’s base station units are one of the most economical base stations available in the market today. FRC also has a point-to-point backhaul solution in the unlicensed band available at very price scales. As wireless network deployment costs using FRC’s solutions are considerably lowered, deployment of such networks in sparsely populated areas becomes economically viable for any operator, further enabling broadband and telephony penetration to rural areas.
Dr. Ahmed Hady, CEO and founder of FRC, says “We believe that small-to-medium WISPs will contribute to bridging the digital divide in developing countries around the world. During our WiMAX product development, we focused on delivering the most value and economical base stations that would also be easy to deploy. This will allow WISPs to deploy wireless networks even in rural and remote geographies of emerging markets.”
FRC’s WiMAX network solution is managed with a scalable, robust and easy-to-configure AAA server and NMS. The implementation is based on the SNMP v2 protocol. They come as ideal solutions to deploy and manage the WiMAX network elements, whether an operator is deploying a new network, or developing an existing network.
Mohamed Raji, VP of FRC Global Operations, says “FRC’s unique architecture for base stations are based on 4G broadband wireless chipsets; which enables us to make high quality, high capacity for triple play, but very cost-effective network equipment.”
FRC’s product line is based on WiMAX standards IEEE 802.16-2005 for mobile networks. With FRC’s WiMAX product suite, service providers can focus on providing “completely managed” networks that will maximize revenues per subscriber, while reducing capital and operating expenditures. FRC’s base stations are modular delivering much-desired scalability to operators.
FRC was formed in 1993 with a vision to change the way wireless networks are deployed and to create products and solutions suitable for emerging markets. Currently, the company working on the rest of WiMAX Frequency portfolio including Base Stations & customer premise equipment, in the 2 GHz and 3 GHz ranges. FRC has already generated considerable interest from various operators and is now poised to trial its products with some partners in North America, Europe, South America and MENA region.
FRC is a principal member of the WiMAX Forum®.


FRC

Rockwell Collins names FRC Group as Magnetic Supplier of the Year 2009

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (March 26, 2009) – FRC Group was named the Magnetic Supplier of the Year 2009 by Rockwell Collins. The awards were presented by Jeff Moore, senior vice president of Operations, at Rockwell Collins' Annual Supplier Conference.
The Supplier of the Year award is an acknowledgment of significant contributions made during the year by the suppliers and is based upon quality, delivery, total cost of ownership, lead time and customer service.
Rockwell Collins (NYSE: COL) is a pioneer in the development and deployment of innovative communication and aviation electronics solutions for both commercial and government applications. Our expertise in flight deck avionics, cabin electronics, mission communications, information management and simulation and training is delivered by 20,000 employees, and a global service and support network that crosses 27 countries. To find out more, please visit www.rockwellcollins.com


JORDAN

The FRC Group is pleased to announce that our sister company "The Blue Zone Jordan" has won a Fixed Broadband Wireless Access (FBWA) license in The Kingdom of JORDAN.

Today on the 17th of December, 2007 the Bid offers were opened in the TRC premises for the 3rd branch of the Fixed Broadband Wireless Access Tender (5.4 GHz band) in the presence of the company representatives qualified for bidding on this tender.
The Blue Zone East / Jordan has won the FBWA license based on the offer submitted in the amount of JOD 3,902,464. The Board of Commissioners of the TRC has issued today its preliminary decision to grant the above company the license for using the allocated spectrum and will officially grant the spectrum license as soon as all the requirements are satisfied.
Also, the above company has previously submitted its application for the General Individual Telecommunication License and will be granted this license when it has fulfilled all the requirements for such license.


FRC Group

Rockwell Collins names FRC Group as a winner of two Commodities (Antenna & Magnetics) Supplier of the Year 2007

FRC Group was named the Antenna Commodity Supplier and the Magnetic Commodity Supplier of the Year 2007 by Rockwell Collins. The awards were presented by Chairman, President and CEO Clay Jones at Rockwell Collins' Annual Supplier Conference.
FRC, Mason City, Iowa
The Antenna Commodity Supplier of the Year
Filter Research, Palm Bay and FRC, Mason City, Iowa
The Magnetics Commodity Supplier of the Year
The supplier of the year award is an acknowledgment of significant contributions made during the year by the suppliers and is based upon quality, delivery, total cost of ownership, lead time and customer service.
Rockwell Collins (NYSE: COL) is a pioneer in the development and deployment of innovative communication and aviation electronics solutions for both commercial and government applications. Our expertise in flight deck avionics, cabin electronics, mission communications, information management and simulation and training is strengthened by 19,000 employees, and a global service and support network that crosses 27 countries. To find out more, please visit www.rockwellcollins.com


WiMAX Forum

FRC is proud to announce that it has joined WiMAX Forum

The FRC Group, a worldwide provider of broadband wireless access products, is pleased to announce its support for the WiMAX Forum™, an industry-led organization that promotes the interoperability and certification of broadband wireless products based on the IEEE 802.16 and ETSI HiperMAN standards.
The goal of the WiMAX Forum is to create economies of scale through standards-based, interoperable products that result in price and performance levels not attainable by proprietary solutions. WiMAX technology allows service providers across global markets to provide economical broadband data, voice and video services in both residential and business applications.

"The potential is unlimited for increased revenue opportunities resulting from new product development based on the IEEE 802.16 standard. The WiMAX Forum stimulates this development," said CEO Ahmed Elmahdawy. "FRC has nearly thirty years of experience implementing best available technologies into viable products, and WiMAX Forum certification is our next target as we continue to deliver wireless solutions to our customers in today's ever changing market."

Mohamed Raji, Vice President, said: "A necessity for products to be WiMAX Forum Certified™, the level of interoperability makes wireless technology competitive when compared to alternate solutions."
About FRC Company
The FRC Group, established in 1977, is comprised of diverse, multinational companies that are industry leaders and major suppliers of many products ranging from avionics components to broadband wireless services and equipment. For more information about FRC, please visit www.frccorp.com.
About the WiMAX Forum
The WiMAX Forum is an industry-led, non-profit corporation formed to help promote and certify the compatibility and interoperability of broadband wireless products using the IEEE 802.16 and ETSI HiperMAN wireless MAN specifications. The Forum's goal is to accelerate the introduction of these devices into the marketplace. WiMAX Forum Certified products will be fully interoperable and support Metropolitan Broadband Fixed, Portable and Mobile Applications. For more information about the WiMAX Forum and its activities, please visit www.wimaxforum.org.
“WiMAX”, “WiMAX Forum”, the WiMAX Forum logo, “WiMAX Forum Certified”, and the WiMAX Forum Certified logo are trademarks of WiMAX Forum.


FRC Corporation

Rockwell Collins presents FRC Corporation with The President's Award for 2004

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (April 20, 2004) - FRC Corporation, with locations in Palm Bay, Fla., and Mason City, Iowa, has received The President's Award for 2004 from Rockwell Collins. The award was presented by Chairman, President and CEO Clay Jones at Rockwell Collins' Annual Supplier Conference.
FRC Corporation has proven to be an exemplary supplier,” said Roger Weiss, acting vice president of Material and Supply for Rockwell Collins. “It has shortened its lead times, assisted us in reducing inventories and provided top-notch customer service.”
FRC Corporation also received the Magnetic Commodity Supplier of the Year Award for being a consistently high performer in quality, delivery and support service.
The Commodity Supplier of the Year awards are an acknowledgement of significant contributions made over the past year by each supplier amongst their peer group based upon quality, delivery, total cost of ownership, lead time and overall business process alignment with Rockwell Collins.
Rockwell Collins (NYSE: COL) is a leader in the design, production and support of communications and aviation electronics solutions for government and commercial customers worldwide. In January 2004, Forbes magazine selected Rockwell Collins as the best managed aerospace & defense company in America. Additional company information is available at www.rockwellcollins.com.


FRC

FRC officially certified to both ISO9001 and AS9100 standards.*

FRC is pleased to announce that we are officially certified to both ISO9001 and AS9100 standards. These high quality systems are completely standardized in our operating procedures, processes and documentation, and fully implemented in all FRC companies.
Our quality system maintains compliance with standards MIL-Q-9858 and MIL-I-45208. In addition to statistical sampling per MIL-STD-105, we employ Statistical Process Control (SPC) at the manufacturing level. Inspection of incoming material is accomplished through statistical sampling plans in compliance with MIL-STD-105. All test and measurement devices are in compliance with MIL-STD-45662 and traceable to the National Institute of Standards and Technology.
Exceptional quality and service have always been synonymous with FRC. We offer our customers the flexibility and responsiveness of a small business, yet still have the technology, resources and high standards that you expect from a leader in the industry.
We would like to thank both our customers and suppliers for helping us achieve these certifications and driving us to never lose sight of our commitment to be the best.

^