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Southern
Electrical Equipment Company (SEECO) was
founded in 1920 as a supplier to the electrical utility industry.
The company was originally organized and managed by several individuals
who had held key engineering and procurement positions with Duke Power, an
investor-owned electrical utility based in the Carolinas. Frequently
challenged and sometimes frustrated by the difficulty in locating and
procuring electrical products that met their utility specifications, these
individuals determined to start their own company and supply the very
items they had been looking for. Out of that desire to design and
manufacture a better product, SEECO was born.
The product focus of the company was initially directed
toward substation applications. In these early years, SEECO
developed a complete line of hook-stick disconnect switches and mechanical
connectors; the company also fabricated specialized copper bus bar
assemblies, and designed and manufactured substation packages.
Located in Charlotte, N.C., the company's geographical
market was originally in the southeast United States, and included
regional investor-owned utilities, rural electric cooperatives, and
municipal systems. In this time period (1920's, 1930's, and 1940's),
many rural areas in the southeast were still without electric power or
were served by newly developed cooperative and municipal systems.
Due to its' geographic location, products, and engineering capabilities,
SEECO was a major supplier of substation apparatus to many of the newly
developed electrical systems in rural North and South Carolina, northern
Georgia, eastern Tennessee, and southern Virginia. From the 1920's
through the 1960's, SEECO was also heavily represented in the
electrification of the southern textile industry; many industrial
substations erected or expanded in those years were SEECO "projects."
A Major Acquisition
In 1980, SEECO acquired the
transmission and substation
switch product lines of the A.B. Chance Company. Included in this
acquisition were the commercially popular one-way, two-way, and three-way
phase-over-phase GOABS® which are used in transmission switching
applications, and the MONORUPTR® vacuum interrupter which adds full
load-break capabilities to air-break switches.
The acquisition of an
established and respected line of group operated switches, with an
existing nationwide customer base, was a major turning point for the
company. By virtue of this acquisition, SEECO was transformed from a
supplier with a regional (southeastern U.S.) market focus to a
manufacturer with both national and international customers.
Within 3-5 years of the acquisition, the company was recording sales in
virtually all 50 states, Canada, Central America, Southeast Asia, and the
Middle East.
The new product lines also
necessitated major changes in the manufacturing capabilities of the
company. At acquisition, SEECO took receipt of ten trailers of
equipment, tooling, and fixturing, all of which required inspection and
repair or reconditioning for active manufacturing service. New
manufacturing personnel were hired and trained for 6 months prior to
shipment of the first complete switch. Major expansions to our
foundry, machining, and fabrication departments occurred soon
thereafter.
Product Development Drives Growth
In response to industry initiatives in automation, SEECO made the decision
in 1995 to develop new products that would complement and support the
automation of group operated switches. Particular emphasis was
placed on products that would facilitate the rapid identification and
isolation of faults, and restoration of service.
The first major new product was
introduced in 1996, a family of
motor operators for switching applications in distribution,
substation, and transmission. Product configurations include motor
operators for both torsional and reciprocating switch operation.
In 2000, SEECO began production
of the next major new product, line post sensors (monitoring insulators)
for monitoring and reporting line status and condition. Line post
sensors replace conventional oil-filled CT and PT devices in monitoring, relaying
and metering applications. The product design employs next generation technology
and is patented.
The most recent major new
product was introduced in early 2002, a family of battery test assemblies
for batteries used in conjunction with motor operators and/or RTU's.
Battery test assemblies provide local and remote indication of battery
condition as determined by load tests applied to the batteries on user
defined time intervals.
These new products and SEECO's
commitment to new product development have been favorably received by the
industry. As a result, SEECO has experienced significant sales
growth and industry recognition. Over the period 1995 to 2004, sales
and employee headcount have increased approximately 250%, and a second
manufacturing facility was added in early 2004.
More new products are scheduled
for introduction in 2005 and we invite you to visit our website
periodically to view information when it is updated.
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