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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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.
Pelican cases, designed by Pelican Products, 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 barotrauma to the case, during transportation, or when the air pressure in the environment may change.
Pelican manufactures airtight, waterproof plastic cases that meet U.S. military, NATO, IEC, CEA-310, and ATA standards for waterproofing, stacking, impact, and durability. Pelican cases include a barometric relief valve made of Gore-Tex to prevent damage to the case, during transportation, or when the air pressure in the environment may change. Standards that Pelican cases comply with include MIL-STD C4150-J for waterproofing, IEC IP67 rating indicating complete sealing against dust and sealing against 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.
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 (if it is not too full), there will be enough air in the case to keep it afloat. The barometric relief valve is made of Gore-Tex which permits air to pass through, but not water or other liquids, including acids. Under some extreme conditions leakage is technically possible, but such conditions are unlikely to be encountered, except in the case of deliberate vandalism.
Pelican flashlights (known as Pelican Lights) use Xenon, 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.
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.
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]
The Travel Channel show John Ratzenberger's Made in America had an episode about Pelican products.[5]