Pelican Products

The Pelican Products logo.

Pelican Products is an American multinational company that designs and manufactures flashlights and cases. Their products are used in many industries including military, law enforcement, fire safety and entertainment. Pelican has over 1,300 employees worldwide.[1] Pelican is based in Torrance, California, and operates offices across the globe.

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.[1]

Company history:

The combined company has more than 1,300 employees. Pelican Products now operates in 19 countries, has 27 offices globally and maintains six manufacturing locations in North America, Europe and Australia.[1]

Cases

A water-resistant Pelican Products iPod case

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 because the name "Pelican" is 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.

Pelican Products also manufactures customized rotationally molded cases built for specialized sensitive equipment protection. The cases can be modified with features including internal shock-mount systems, manual pressure relief valves, humidity indicators, custom foam and fabricated metal framing for electronics. Pelican Products also runs a series of Advanced Case Centers in California, Virginia, Massachusetts and France that handle customization and design work for their cases.

Flashlights

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[10] 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)[11] 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.

Remote area lighting

Pelican's Advanced Area Lighting Group (AALG) designs and manufactures 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.

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.[12]

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "Pelican Products proves as durable as the storage cases it makes".www.latimes.com. 2012-April-29. Retrieved 2013-07-17
  2. ↑ "BEHRMAN CAPITAL ACQUIRES PELICAN™ PRODUCTS, INC. IN $200 MILLION TRANSACTION". (Press Release). Behrman Capital. 2004 October 26. Retrieved 2013-07-18.
  3. ↑ Pelican Products Founder Retires, Faulkner Named New CEO, (Press Release), www.flashlightnews.com, 2006-08-16, Retrieved 2013-09-20.
  4. ↑ Pelican™ Products makes first-ever acquisition by acquiring Australian distributor, 2008-04-08, Retrieved 2013-09-20.
  5. ↑ Pelican establishes Advanced Area Lighting Group, www.fireengineering.com, 2008-06-08, Retrieved 2013-09-20.
  6. ↑ Pelican Products Buys Hardigg Industries, www.mdm.com, 2009-01-09, Retrieved 2013-09-20.
  7. ↑ Pelican Acquires Trimcast, www.growthbusiness.co.uk, 2011-04-05, Retrieved 2013-09-20.
  8. ↑ A Product With Devotees Tries to Widen Its Niche, www.nytimes.com, 2012-08-05, Retrieved 2013-09-20.
  9. ↑ Pelican acquires Minnesota Thermal Science, www.healthcarepackaging.com, 01-14-2013, Retrieved 2013-09-20
  10. ↑ "Technical Summary - Classified Locations". www.ul.com. Underwriter Laboratories. Retrieved 2013-09-16.
  11. ↑ "List of Approved Products". www.msha.gov. September 2001. Retrieved 2013-09-16.
  12. ↑ "LAPD's blinding new flashlights too light to beat suspects". www.engadget.com. 2 April 2007. Retrieved 2013-09-16.

External links